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CKUSOE'S ISLAND: 



Eomhh in IJjb /ontst^s nf alwntitor ftilttrk. 

WITH 

SKETCHES OF ADVENTURE 

IN 

CALIFOKNIA AND WASHOE. 

- 
BY J. ROSS BROWNE, 

AUTHOR OF 

"ETCHINGS OF A WHALING CRUISE," "YUSEF," &c. 



NEW YORK: 
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN SQUARE. 

18 64. 



r 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand 
eight hundred and sixty-four, by 

Harper & Brothers, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District 
of New York. 



i 



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CONTENTS, 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

CHAPTEE PAGE 

I. THE BOAT ADVENTURE 9 

II. FIKST IMPRESSIONS OF THE ISLAND 22 

III. GOING ASHORE 25 

IV. CONDITION OF THE ISLAND IN 1849.. 28 

V. ROBINSON CRUSOE'S CAVE 37 

VI. THE VALLEY ON FIRE 48 

VII. THE CAVE OF THE BUCCANEERS 54 

VIII. LODGINGS UNDER GROUND 55 

IX. COOKING FISH 62 

X. RAMBLE INTO THE INTERIOR 71 

XI. THE VALLEY OF ENCHANTMENT 75 

XII. A STRANGE DISCOVERY 77 

XIII. THE STORM AND ESCAPE 86 

XIV. THE AMERICAN CRUSOE 91 

XV. CASTLE OF THE AMERICAN CRUSOE 96 

XVI. DIFFICULTY BETWEEN ABRAHAM AND THE DOUBTER 99 

XVII. THE MURDER 106 

XVIII. THE SKULL 112 

XIX. THE GOVERNOR'S VISION 117 

XX. THE DOUBTER'S DYSPEPTIC STORY 120 

XXI. BAD DREAM CONCERNING THE DOUBTER 123 

XXII. THE UNPLEASANT AFFAIR OF HONOR 127 

XXIII. DR. STILLMAN'S JOURNAL 142 

XXIV. CONFIDENTIAL CHAT WITH THE READER 147 

XXV. EARLY VOYAGES TO JUAN FERNANDEZ 151 

XXVI. ALEXANDER SELKIRK AND ROBINSON CRUSOE 161 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

I. THE CANNIBAL 167 

II. THE MIRAGE 172 

III. A DEATH STRUGGLE 180 



i v CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER PAGK 

IV. THE OUTLAW'S CAMP 189 

V. THE ESCAPE 201 

VI. A LONELY RIDE 209 

VII. THE ATTACK 214 

VIII. SAN MIGUEL 222 

IX. A DANGEROUS ADVENTURE 228 

X. A TRAGEDY 235 



OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

I. MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES 249 

II. THE GREAT PORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY, SHOWING HOW 

WHISKY BUILT A CITY 270 

III. THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA 284 



A PEEP AT WASHOE, 

I. INTRODUCTORY 309 

II. START FOR WASHOE 322 

III. ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS 350 

IV. AN INFERNAL CITY 365 

V. SOCIETY OF VIRGINIA CITY 385 

VI. ESCAPE FROM VIRGINIA CITY 394 

VII. MY WASHOE AGENCY 404 

VIII. START FOR HOME 416 

IX. ARRIVAL IN SAN FRANCISCO 430 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

Map of Juan Fernandez Page 9 

Leaving the Ship 13 

Boat in a Storm 16 

Struck by a Flaw 18 

Shipwrecked Sailor 19 

Juan Fernandez 23 

Crusoe's Castle 20 

Crusoe at Home 27 

Plan of the Convict Cells 28 

Convict Cells 30 

Chilian Huts 31 

Walrus, or Sea Lion 3G 

Crusoe's Cave 39 

A Eelic of Crusoe 40 

Crusoe's Devotions 41 

The Valley with the Cave and Cliff 42 

Dream-land Crusoe 44 

Fairy Cove 45 

Rescue of Friday 40 

Crusoe asleep 48 

The Californians in Juan Fernandez 51 

Fishing 53 

Crusoe and his Comrades 57 

Cooking in Juan Fernandez , 02 

The Cliff 04 

Abraham on the Peak 6<) 

The Trogon 74 

The Valley 76 

The Skull [[[[[ 8 5 

The American Crusoe 90 

Tragic Fate of the Scotchman 107 

The Lovers 1 09 

Grave of the murdered Man HI 

The Doubter 121 

The Footprint in the Sand 124 

The Savage Orgies J25 



vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

The Doubter back again Page 133 

Swallowing an Island 140 

Dreams and Realities 145 

Peak of Yonka 146 

Scenery of Juan Fernandez 148 

Killing Savages 149 

The Author a la Robinson Crusoe 150 

Chilian and Chilienne 157 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

Mirage in the Salinas Valley 168 

Pass of San Juan 173 

Antelopes in the Mirage 1 75 

Vulture in the Mirage ... .,..../ 176 ._ t -i<? 

A Duel a la Mort ..... 186 

The Camp 192 

Jack 193 

A lonely Ride 210 

The Attack 217 

San Miguel '. 224 

A Spanish Caballero 226 

Valley of Santa Marguerita 230 

Lassoing a Grizzly 233 

The Belle of the Fandango 239 



OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

The Duke of York, Queen Victoria, and Jenny Lind 274 

The Diggers at Home 285 

Out in the Mountains 301 

Protecting the Settlers 305 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

The Bummer..; 311 

Going to Kern River 312 

Returning from Kern River 313 

Ho! for Frazer River 315 

Returned from Frazer River 318 

Hurrah for Washoe 321 

The Agency 323 

"I say, Cap!" 326 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. vii 

Dollars "with Spider legs (a Dream) Page 327 

" Go it, Washoe !" 329 

The Pocket Pistol 331 

California Stage-driver 333 

Whisky below 334 

"Carambo! Caraja — Sacramento! — Santa Maria! — Diavolo!" 335 

Board and Lodging 337 

Grindstones 339 

A Speculator 341 

Dinner at Strawberry 345 

The Lay-out 348 

The Stocking-thief 349 

The Trail from Strawberry 351 

"We are waiting for you" .- 354 

A short Cut 355 

Diogenes 358 

Carson City 362 

The Stage 369 

The Devil's Gate 371 

Virginia City 373 

A Question of Title 375 

"My Claim, Sir!" 377 

Gold Hill 379 

San Francisco Speculators 380 

Assay Office 381 

A Fall 384 

The Comstock Lead 386 

The Claims ,_ 389 

' ' Silver, certain, Sir" 39 1 

"Indications, sure!" .... 393 

An old Friend 399 

Carson Valley 403 

Holding on to it 405 

Mount Ophir 407 

Croppings 408 

The Flowery Diggings 409 

Honest Miner 410 

"A gloomy Prospect" 41 1 

Return from Washoe 417 

Outgoing and Incoming 419 

The Jew's Boots ' 421 

Snow Slide 424 

The Grade 427 

Return to San Francisco 433 

Reading extra Bulletin 436 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 





CHAPTER I. 






THE BOAT 


ADVENTURE. 






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MAP OP JUAN FERNA-M'i:/.. 



My narrative dates as far back as the early part of 
the year 1849. Then the ship Anteus was a noted vessel. 
Many were the strange stories told of strife and discord 
between the captain and the passengers; pamphlets were 
published giving different versions of the facts, and some 
very curious questions of law were involved in the charges 
made by both parties. It appeared from the statement 
of the passengers, who were for the most part intelligent 
and respectable Americans, that, on the voyage of the 
Anteus to California, their treatment by the captain was 
cruel and oppressive in the extreme ; that, before they 
were three weeks from port, he had reduced them almost 
to a state of absolute starvation; and, in consequence of 
the violence of his conduct, which, as they alleged, was 
without cause or provocation on their part, they consid- 
ered their lives endangered, and resolved upon making 



10 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

an appeal for his removal at the port of Rio. On the ar- 
rival of the vessel at Rio the captain was arraigned be- 
fore the American consul, and pronounced to be insane 
by the evidence of six physicians and by the testimony 
of a large majority of the passengers. It was charged, 
on the other hand, that the passengers were disorderly, 
mutinous, and ungovernable ; that they had entered into 
a conspiracy against the captain, and in testifying to his 
insanity were guilty of perjury. The examination of the 
case occupied several weeks before the American consul ; 
voluminous testimony was-taken on both sides ; the ques- 
tion was submitted to the American minister, to the Brit- 
ish consul, and to the principal merchants of Rio, all of 
whom concurred in the opinion that, under the circum- 
stances, there was but one proper course to pursue, which 
was, to remove the captain from the command of the ves- 
sel. He was accordingly deposed by the American con- 
sul, and a new captain placed in the command. This was 
regarded by the principal merchants of New York as an 
arbitrary exercise of authority, unwarranted by law or 
precedent, and a memorial was addressed by them to the 
President of the United States for the removal of the con- 
sul. A new administration had just come into power; 
and the consul was removed, ostensibly on the ground 
of the complaints made against him ; but, inasmuch as 
some few other officers of the government were removed 
at the same time without such ground, it may be inferred 
that a difference in political opinion had some weight 
with the administration. 

It is not my intention now to go into any argument in 
regard to the merits of this case ; the time may come 
when justice will be done to the injured, and it remains 
for higher authority than myself to mete it out. I have 
simply to acknowledge, with a share of the odium rest- 
ing upon me, that I was one of the rebellious passengers 
in the Anteus. My companions in trouble so far hon- 
ored me with their confidence as to give me charge of 
the case. I was unlearned in law, yet possessed some 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 11 

experience in sea-life; and believing that* the lives of all 
on board depended upon getting rid of a desperate and 
insane captain, aided to the best of my ability in having 
a new officer placed in the command. To the change 
thus made, unforeseen in its results, I owe ray eventful 
visit to the island of Juan Fernandez. 

It was the intention of our first captain to touch at 
Valparaiso for a supply of fresh provisions. In the ship's 
papers this was the only port designated on the Pacific 
side except San Francisco. Our new commander, Cap- 
tain Brooks, assumed the responsibility of leaving the 
choice between Valparaiso and another port to the pas- 
sengers. It was put to the vote, and decided that Ave 
should proceed to Callao, so that we might pass in sight 
of Juan Fernandez, and have an opportunity of visiting- 
Lima, " the City of the Kings." 

Early on the morning of the 19th of May, 1849, we 
made the highest peak of Massa Tierra, bearing N.N.W., 
distant seventy miles.* The weather was mild and clear. 
As the sun rose, it fell calm, and the ship lay nearly mo- 
tionless. A light blue spot, scarce bigger than a hand- 
spike, was all that appeared in the horizon. It might 
have passed for a cloud but for the distinctness of its 
outline. Weary of the gales we had encountered off 
Cape Horn, it was a pleasant thing to see a spot of earth 
once more, and there was not a soul on board but felt a 
desire to go ashore. For some days past, myself and a 
few others had talked secretly among ourselves about 
making the attempt in case we went close enough ; but 
now there seemed to be every prospect of a long calm, 
and we took it for granted the captain would clap on all 
sail if we took the trades. There was no other chance 
but to lower one of the boats and row seventy miles. A 
party of us agreed to do this, provided we could get a 
boat. The ship's boats we knew it would be impossible 
to get without permission of the captain, and that we 
were not willing to ask. Mr. Brigham, a fellow-passen- 
ger, was owner of one of the quarter -boats. We 



12 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

broached the matter to him, and he gladly joined in the 
adventure, together with his partner and some friends, 
so that Ave made in all a very pleasant party of eleven. 
The proper number of men for the boat was six, but in 
consideration of the great distance and the necessity of 
a change at the oars, five more were crowded in. We 
had been in the habit of rowing about the vessel when- 
ever it was calm, and this we thought would be a good 
excuse for lowering the boat. Being in great haste, lest 
the captain should object to letting us go, we only 
thought of a few necessary articles in case we should be 
cast away or driven off from the island. Two small 
demijohns of water, a few biscuits, a piece of dried beef, 
and some cheese and crackers comprised our entire stock 
of provisions ; and for nautical instruments we had only 
a lantern and a small pocket compass. Not knowing but 
there might be outlaws or savages ashore who might 
undertake to murder us, we armed ourselves with a 
double-barreled gun, a fusee, and an old harpoon, which 
Avas all Ave could smuggle into the boat in the excitement 
of starting. Captain Brooks happening to come on deck, 
perceived that there Avas something unusual going on, 
and, suspecting our design, took occasion to warn its of 
the folly of such an expedition. At the same time, think- 
ing there was more bravado than reality about it, he 
laughed good-humoredly when Ave acknoAvledged that 
we were going ashore. " Be sure," said he, as Ave went 
over the side, '•' not to forget the peaches. You will find 
plenty of them up in the valleys. Only don't lose sight 
of the vessel. You may exercise yourselves as much as 
you please, but keep the royals above water, AvhateA r er 
you do. Bear in mind that you are more than seventy 
miles from that peak !" We promised him that we would 
take care of ourselves, and come back safe in case we 
Avere not foundered. 

At 9 A.M. Ave bade our friends good-by, and with 
three cheers pushed off from the ship. The boat was 
only tAventy-tAVO feet long and an eighth of an inch thick : 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



13 



it was made of sheet-iron, and was very narrow and crank. 
Most of us, except myself and a whaleman named Pax- 
ton, were unused to rowing, so that the prospect of reach- 
ing land depended a good deal upon the day remaining 
calm, and upon keeping the boat trimmed, the gunwales 
being only ten inches out of the water. 





LEAV1NU THE SHIP. 



There was no excuse for this risk of life, save that in- 
satiable thirst for novelty which all experience to some 
extent after the monotony of a long voyage. I will only 
say, in regard to myself, that I was too full of joy at the 
idea of a ramble in the footsteps of Robinson Crusoe to 
think of risk at all. If there was danger, it merely served 
to give zest to the adventure. 

By a calculation of the distance and our rate of going, 
we expected to reach the land by sundown or soon after ; 
and then our plan was to make a tent of the boat-sail, 
and sleep under it till morning, when by rising early we 
thought Ave could take a run over the island, and perhaps 
get some fruit and vegetables. By that time, should a 

A* 



14 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

light breeze spring up during the night, we thought it 
likely the ship would be well up by the laud, and we 
could pull out and get on board without difficulty. Be- 
fore long we found that distances are very deceptive in 
these latitudes where the atmosphere is so clear : for not- 
withstanding the statement of the captain that by the 
reckoning we were seventy miles from land, we believed 
that he only told us so to deter us from going, and that 
Ave were not much more than half that distance. In row- 
ing we made a division of our number, taking turns or 
watches of an hour each at the oars, so as to share the 
labor. Once fairly under way, with a smooth sea and a 
pleasant day before us, we became exceedingly merry at 
the expense of our fellow-passengers whom we had left 
in the ship to drift about in the calm, and it afforded us 
much diversion to think how they would be disappointed 
upon finding that we were in earnest about going ashore. 
Before long we had cause to wish ourselves back again 
in the ship, which goes to prove that apparently the most 
unfortunate are often less so than those who seem to be 
favored by circumstances. 

At noon we took a lunch, and refreshed ourselves with 
a drink of water all round. We had also a good supply 
of cigars, which we smoked with great relish after our 
pull ; and I think there never was a happier set than we 
were for the time. Still there was but a single peak on 
the horizon. It was blue and dim in the distance, and 
apparently not much higher than when Ave saAV it from 
the mast-head, from which Ave inferred that there must 
be a current setting against us. The Anteus Avas hull 
down, yet we seemed as far from the land as when we 
started. 

A ripple beginning to show upon the Avater, we hoist- 
ed our sail to catch the breeze, and found that it helped 
us one or two knots an hour. With songs and anecdotes 
Ave passed the time pleasantly till 3 P.M., when Ave en- 
tirely lost sight of the vessel. Paxton, the whaleman, 
now stood up in the boat to take an observation of the 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. , g 

land. There were a few more peaks in sight ; the mid- 
dle peak, which was the first we made, began to loom up 
very plainly, showing a flat top. It was the mountain 
called Yonka, which is said to be three thousand feet 
high. We were apparently forty miles yet from the 
nearest point ; and the sun setting here in May at a little 
after five, we began to feel uneasy concerning the weath- 
er, which showed signs of a change. All of ns, having 
gone so far, were in favor of keeping on, though in secret 
we thought there was a good deal of danger. At sunset 
we took another observation. The land had risen quite 
over the water from end to end, and we hoped to reach 
it in about three hours. It is true none of us knew any 
thing about the shores, whether they abounded in bays 
or not, and if so where any safe place of landing could 
be found, which made us doubtful how to steer. Clouds 
were gathering all over the horizon ; a few stars shone 
out dimly overhead, and the shades of night began to 
cover the island as with a shroud. Swiftly, yet with re- 
sistless power, the clouds swept over the whole sky, and 
the horizon, iu all the grandeur of its vast circle, was lost 
in the shades of night. No sail was near ; no light shone 
upon us now but the dim rays of a few solitary stars 
through the rugged masses of clouds ; no sound broke 
upon the listening ear save the weary stroke of our oars: 
a gloom had settled upon the mighty wilderness of wa- 
ters, and we were awed and silent, for we knew that the 
spirit of God was there, and darkness was his secret 
place ; that " his pavilion round about him were dark 
waters and thick clouds of the skies." 

One large black mass of clouds rose up on the weather 
quarter ; a low moaning came over the sea, and the air 
became suddenly chill, and trie waters rippled around us, 
and were tossed about by the unseen Power, and we 
trembled, for we beheld the coming of the storm that 
was soon to burst upon us in all the majesty of its wrath. 
For a while there was the stillness of death; then "the 
Lord thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his 



L6 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

voice," and out of the darkness came the storm. In fierce 
and sudden gusts it came, terrible in its resistless might ; 
lashing the sea into a white foam, tossing and whirling 
overhead, with its thousand arms outstretched ; grasping 
up the waters as it raged over the deep, and scourging 
them madly through the air, while it moaned and shrieked 
like the dread spirit of desolation. 




BOAT IN A STORM. 



Every one of us cowered down in the boat to keep her 
balanced. The spray washed over us fearfully, and the 
sail shook so in the wind, having let go all, that we 
thought it would tear the mast out. At this time we 
were about three leagues from the S.E. end of the island, 
which was the nearest point then in sight. As the cloud 
spread by the attraction of the land, the whole island be- 
came wrapped in a dark shroud of mist, aud in half an 
hour we could discern nothing but the gloom of the 
storm around us, as we bore down toward the darkest 
part on the lea. Our lamp was now quenched by a heavy 
sea, and being unable to distinguish the points of the 
compass, we were fearful we should miss the island and 
be carried off so far that we could never reach it again. 
Whenever there was a lull we tried to haul in our sheet, 
but a sudden flaw striking us once, the boat lay over 
till she buried her gunwales, and the sea broke heavily 
over her lee side, and the crew at the same time spring- 
ing in a body to the weather side, to balance her, brought 
her over suddenly, so that it was a miracle we were not 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. IV 

capsized, which, had it happened so far out at sea in the 
darkness, would have made an end of us. Indeed, it was 
as much as we could do, by baling continually, to keep 
her afloat, and every moment we expected to be buried 
in a watery grave. For the reason that we feared the 
tide or current which set against us might carry us oil* 
beyond reach of the land, we kept up our sail as long as 
we could, thinking that while we made headway toward 
the lee of the island we increased our chance of safety. 
Moreover, we knew it was four hundred miles to the 
coast of Chili, and we had neither water nor provisions 
left. At best our position was perilous. Ignorant of 
the bearings of the harbor, we were at a loss what to do 
even if we should be able to reach the lee of the island, 
for we had seen that it was chiefly rock-bound and inac- 
cessible to boats. 

About 2 A.M., as well as we could judge, we found our- 
selves close in under the lee of a high cliff, upon the base 
of which the surf broke with a tremendous roar. Some 
three or four of the party, reckless of the consequences, 
were in favor of running straight in, and attempting to 
gain the shore at all hazards. The more prudent of us 
protested against the folly of this course, well knowing 
that we would be capsized in the surf and dashed to 
pieces on the rocks. Here we found the evils of having 
too many masters in an adventure of this kind, where 
every man who had a will of his own seemed disposed 
to use it. However, by mild pei'suasion, we adjusted the 
difficulty, and agreed to continue on under the lee, where 
we were sheltered in some degree from the gale, till we 
should hit upon some safe harbor, if such there was upon 
the island. The boat was our only resource in case of 
being left ashore, and all admitted the necessity of pre- 
serving it as long as possible. If we found no harbor, 
we could li6 off a short distance and wait till daylight. 
This plan was so reasonable that none could object to it. 
As soon as we were well in by the shore, where the gale 
was cut off by the mountains, we had a light eddy of air 



18 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

in our favor, which induced ns to keep up our sail. We 
soon found the danger of this. A strong flaw from a gap 
in the land struck us suddenly, and would have capsized 




STRUCK 1ST A FLAW. 



us had we not let go every thing, and clung to the weath- 
er gunwale till it was over, when we quickly pulled down 
the sail and took to the oars. 

We could see nothing on our starboard but the wild 
seas as they rolled off into the darkness ; on our larboard, 
a black perpendicular wall of rocks loomed up hundreds 
of feet high, reaching apparently into the clouds. Some- 
times a part of the outline came out clear, with its rugged 
pinnacles against the sky, and now and then a fearful 
gorge opened up as we coasted along, through which the 
wind moaned dismally. It was a very wild and awful 
place in the dead of night, being so covered with dark- 
ness that we scarce knew where we steered, or how soon 
we might be dashed to pieces in the surf. Once in a 
while we stopped to listen, thinking we heard voices on 
the shore, but it was only the moaning of the tempest 
upon the cliffs, and the frightful beating of the surf below. 
We seemed almost to be able to touch the black and rug- 
ged wall of rocks that stood up out of the sea, and the 
shock of the returning waves so jarred the Ifoat at times 
that we clung to the thwarts, and believed we were sure- 
ly within the jaws of death. As the voices died away 
which we thought came out from the cliffs there was a 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



19 



lull in the storm, and nothing but the wail of the surf 
could be heard, sounding very sad and lonesome in gloom 
of night. It was a dreary and perpetual dirge for the 
ill-fated mariners who were buried upon that inhospita- 
ble shore ; a death-moan that forever rises out of the deep 
for the souls that are lost, and the hearts that can never 
be united with those that love them upon earth again. T 
thought how well it was writ by the poet — 

"Oh, Solitude! where are the charms 
That sages have seen in thy face ? 
Better dwell in the midst of alarms. 
Than reign in this horrible place." 







SHIPWRECKED SAILOK. 



Having pulled about twelve miles along the shore from 
Goat Island, where we first got under the lee, and seeing 
no sign of a cove or harbor, we began to despair of get- 
ting ashore before daylight. In this extremity, Abraham, 
a ship-neighbor of mine, succeeded in lighting the lantern 
again, which he held out in his hand from the bow, hop- 
ing thereby to cast a light upon the rocks, that we might 
grope out our way and reach some place of safety ; but 
it only seemed to make the darkness thicker than it was 
before. We therefore concluded it was best to pull on 
till we rounded a point some few miles ahead, where we 
thought there might be a cove. So we put out the light 
and got Paxton to go in the bow as a look-out, he being 
the most keen-sighted, from the habit of looking from 



■20 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

the mast-head for whales. On turning the point we 
were startled by a loud cry of " Light, ho !" Every 
body turned to see where it appeared. It was close 
down by the water, about three miles distant, within a 
spacious cove that opened upon us as we turned the point. 
Paxton's quick eye had descried it the moment we hove 
round the rock. Greatly rejoiced by this discovery, we 
pulled ahead with a good will and rapidly bore down 
toward the light. 

Chilled through with the sharp gusts from the mount- 
ains, wet with spray, and very hungry, we congratulated 
ourselves that there were still inhabitants on the island, 
and we could not but think they would give us something 
to eat, and furnish us with some place of shelter. Cap- 
tain Brooks had told us that he had been here several 
times in a whaler ; that sometimes people lived upon the 
island from the coast of Chili, and sometimes it was en- 
tirely deserted. The Chilians who frequented this lonely 
island we knew to be a very bad set of people, chiefly 
convicts and outcasts, who would not hesitate to rob and 
murder any stranger whom misfortune or the love of ad- 
venture might cast in their power. Pirates, also, had fre- 
quented its bays from the time of the buccaneers ; and it 
was a question with us whether the light was made by 
these outlaws, or by some unfortunate shipwrecked sail- 
ors or deserters from some English or American whale- 
ship. The better to provide against danger, we loaded 
our two guns, and placed them in the bow, as also the 
harpoon ; upon which we steered for the light. All of a 
sudden it disappeared, as if quenched by water. This 
was a new source of trouble. What could it mean? 
There was no doubt we had all seen it. The early voy- 
agers had often seen strange lights at night on the tops 
of the mountains, which they attributed to supernatural 
causes ; but this was close down by the water, and was 
too well denned and too distinctly visible to us all either 
to be a supernatural visitation or the result of some vol- 
canic eruption. While we lay upon our oars wondering 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 21 

what it meant, it again appeared, brighter than before. 
Now, if the inhabitants were not pirates or freebooters, 
why did they pursue this mysterious conduct ? We sus- 
pected that they heard our oars, and had lit a fire on the 
beach to guide us ashore ; but if they wanted us to land 
in the right place, why did they put out the light and 
start it up again so strangely ? For half an hour it con- 
tinued thus to disappear and reappear at short intervals 
in the same mysterious way, for which none of us could 
account. 

It being now about four o'clock in the morning, we 
felt so cast down by fatigue and dread of death, that we 
decided to run in at all hazards, and, if necessary, make 
our way through the breakers. All hands fell to upon 
the oars, and soon the light bore up again close on by the 
head. Paxton, who was in the bow, quickly started up, 
and began peering sharply through the gloom. " What's 
that ?" said he : " look there, my lads. I see something 
black ; don't you see it — there, on the larboard — it looks 
to me like the hull of a ship ! Pull, my lads, pull !" and 
so all gave way with a will, and in a few minutes the tall 
masts of a vessel loomed up against the sky within a 
hundred yards ! I shall never forget the joy of the whole 
party at that sight. The light which we had seen came 
from a lamp that swung in the lower rigging, and though 
the ship might be a Chilian convict vessel, or some other 
craft as little likely to give us a pleasant reception, yet 
we were too glad to think of that, and straightway 
pulled up under her stern and hailed her. For a mo- 
ment there was a pause as our voices broke upon the 
stillness ; then tnere was a stir on deck, and a voice an- 
swered us in clear sailor-like English, "Boat ahoy ! where 
are you from ?" " The ship Anteus," said we, " bound 
for California ; what ship is this ?" " The Brooklyn, of 
New York, bound for California. Come on board !" 

No longer able to suppress our joy, w r e gave vent to 
three hearty cheers — cheers so loud and genuine that they 
swept over the waters of Juan Fernandez, and went roll- 



■22 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

ing up the valleys in a thousand echoes. In less than 
five minutes we were all on deck, thankful for our provi- 
dential deliverance from the horrors of that eventful night. 



CHAPTER II. 

FIKST IMPRESSIONS OF THE ISLAND. 

The decks of the Brooklyn presented a strange and 
half-savage scene. Most of the passengers, aroused from 
their sleep by the shouts of the officers and crew, had 
rushed upon deck nearly naked, and quite at a loss to 
know what had happened. While Ave were answering 
some of their questions, Captain Richardson, the master, 
pushed his way through the crowd and asked what all 
the noise was about. We speedily explained how we 
had left the Anteus seventy miles out at sea, and how, 
through the aid of Providence, we had made our way 
into the harbor and descried the ship's lamp ; declaring 
at the same time our belief that, had we missed the ship, 
in all probability we would have been dashed to pieces 
upon the rocks. We then made ourselves known per- 
sonally to the captain, who was well acquainted with 
some of the party. He cordially welcomed us on board, 
and invited us into his cabin, where we gave him a more 
detailed account of our adventure. Meantime the cook 
was ordered to get us some breakfast as soon as possi- 
ble, and Captain Richardson offered us dry clothes, and 
administered to our wants in the kindest manner. Nor 
was it long till we felt exceedingly comfortable consid- 
ering the previous circumstances. We soon had break- 
fast, which, after our toils and troubles, was truly a God- 
send. Some of the finest fish I ever ate was on the table ; 
excellent ham and potatoes also, fresh bread, and coffee 
boiling hot. It was devoured with a most uncommon 
relish, as you may suppose ; and it was none the less 
agreeable for being seasoned with pleasant conversation. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



23 



The captain admitted 
that in all his seafar- 
ing career he had nev- 
er known of any thinsr 
more absurd than our 
adventure, and that it 
was a miracle we were 
not every one lost. All 
the passengers crowd- 
ed around us as if we 
had risen from the 
depths of the sea, and 
I fancied they exam- 
ined us as if they had 
an idea that we Avere 
some kind of sea-mon- 
sters. 

The Brooklyn lay 

at anchor about half 

a mile from the boat- 

Janding. At the dawn 

of day I was on the 

deck, looking eagerly 

toward the island. I 

may as well confess 

at once that no child 

could have felt more 

delighted than I did 

in the anticipation of 

something illusive and 

enchanting. My heart 

throbbed with impatience to see what it was that cast 

so strange a fascination about that lonely spot. All was 

wrapped in mist ; but the air was filled with fresh odors 

of land, and wafts of sweetness more delicious than the 

scent of new-mown hay. The storm had ceased, and the 

soft-echoed bleating of goats, and the distant baying of 

wild dogs were all the sounds of life that broke upon the 




24 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

stillness. It seemed as if the sun, loth to disturb the 
ocean in its rest, or reveal the scene of beauty that lay 
slumbering upon its bosom, would never rise again, so 
gently the light stole upon the eastern sky, so softly it 
absorbed the shadows of night. I watched the golden 
glow as it spread over the heavens, and beheld at last the 
sun in all his majesty scatter away the thick vapors that 
lay around his resting-place, and each vale was opened out 
in the glowing light of the morning, and the mountains 
that towered out of the sea were bathed in the glory of 
his rays. 

Never shall I forget the strange delight with which I 
gazed upon that isle of romance ; the unfeigned rapture 
I felt in the anticipation of exploring that miniature 
world in the desert of waters, so fraught with the hap- 
piest associations of youth ; so remote from all the ordi- 
nary realities of life; the actual embodiment of the most 
absorbing, most fascinating of all the dreams of fancy. 
Many foreign lands I had seen ; many islands scattered 
over the broad ocean, rich and wondrous in their roman- 
tic beauty ; many glens of Utopian loveliness ; mountain 
heights weird and impressive in their sublimity; but 
nothing to equal this in variety of outline and undefmable 
richness of coloring ; nothing so dreamlike, so wrapped 
in illusion, so strange and absorbing in its novelty. 
Great peaks of reddish rock seemed to pierce the sky 
wherever I looked ; a thousand rugged ridges swept up- 
ward toward the centre in a perfect maze of enchant- 
ment. It was all wild, fascinating, and unreal. The 
sides of the mountains were covered with patches of rich 
grass, natural fields of oats, and groves of myrtle and pi- 
mento. Abrupt walls of rock rose from the water to 
the height of a thousand feet. The surf broke in a white 
line of foam along the shores of the bay, and its measured 
swell floated upon the air like the voice of a distant cat- 
aract. Fields of verdure covered the ravines; ruined 
and moss-covered walls were scattered over each emi- 
nence ; and the straw huts of the inhabitants were al- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 25 

most unbosomed in trees, in the midst of the valley, and 
jets of smoke arose out of the groves and floated oft' 
gently in the calm air of the morning. In all the shore, 
but one spot, a single opening among the rocks, seemed 
accessible to man. The rest of the coast within view 
consisted of fearful cliffs overhanging the water, the 
ridges from which sloped upward as they receded in- 
land, forming a variety of smaller valleys above, which 
were strangely diversified with woods and grass, and 
golden fields of wild oats. Close to the water's edge 
was the dark moss-covered rock, forever moist with the 
bright spray of the ocean, and above it, cleft in countless 
fissures by earthquakes in times past, the red burnt 
earth ; and there were gorges through which silvery 
springs coursed, and cascades fringed with banks of 
shrubbery ; and still higher the slopes were of a bright 
yellow, which, lying outspread in the glow of the early 
sunlight, almost dazzled the eye ; and round about 
through the valleys and on the hill-sides, the groves of 
myrtle, pimento, and corkwood were draped in green, 
glittering with rain-drops after the storm, and the whole 
air was tinged with ambrosial tints, and filled with sweet 
odors; nothing in all the island and its shores, as the 
sun rose and cast off the mist, but seemed to 

"suffer a sea-change 
Into something rich and strange." 



CHAPTER III. 

GOING ASHORE. 

No longer able to control our enthusiam, we sprang 
into the boat and pushed oft' for the landing. Captain 
Richardson, who was well acquainted with the ruins of 
the Chilian settlement, joined us in our intended excur- 
sion, and we were accompanied also by a few sporting 
passengers from the Brooklyn in another boat. The wa- 

C 



26 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



ters of the bay are of crystal clearness ; we saw the bot- 
tom as we dashed over the swell, at a depth of several 
fathoms. It was alive with fish and various kinds of 
marine animals, of which there are great quantities about 
these shores. Can you conceive, ye landsmen who dwell 
in cities, and have never buffeted for weary months the 
gales of old ocean, the joy of once more touching the 
genial earth Avhen it has become almost a dreamy fancy 
in the memories pfjthe past! Then think, without a 
smile of disdain, what a thrill of delight ran through my 
blood as I pressed my feet for the first time upon the 
fresh sod of Juan Fernandez ! Think of it, too, as the 
realization of hopes which I had never ceased to cherish 
from early boyhood ; for this was the abiding place, 
which I now at last beheld, of a wondrous adventurer 
whose history had filled my soul years ago with indefi- 
nite longings for sea-life, shipwreck, and solitude ! Yes, 
here was verily the land of Robinson Crusoe ; here, in 
one of these secluded glens, stood his rustic castle ; here 



1 .a - 




CRUSOE'S CASTLE. 

he fed his goats and held converse with his faithful pets ; 
here he found consolation in the devotion of a new friend, 
his true and honest man Friday ; beneath the shade of 
these trees he unfolded the mysteries of Divine Provi- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



27 



dence to the simple savage, and proved to the world 
that there is no position in life which may not be en- 
dured by a patient spirit and an abiding confidence in 
the goodness and mercy of God. 

Pardon the fondness with which I linger upon these 
recollections, reader, for. I was one who had fought for 
poor Robinson in my boyish days as the greatest hero 
that ever breathed the breath of life ; who had always, 
even to man's estate, secretly cherished in my heart the 
belief that Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and all the 
warriors of antiquity were commonplace persons com- 
pared with him ; that Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke 
of Wellington, Colonel Johnson, Tecumseh, and all the 
noted statesmen and warriors of modern times, were not 
to be mentioned in the same day with so extraordinary 
a man; I, who had always regarded him as the most 
truthful and the very sublimest of adventurers, was now 
the entranced beholder of his abiding place — walking, 
breathing, thinking, and seeing on the very spot ! There 
was no fancy about it — not the least ; it was a palpable" 
reality! Talk of gold ! Why, I tell you, my dear friends, 
all the gold of California was not worth the ecstatic bliss 
of that moment! 



j$t* &&S 




OEUSOE AT HOME. 



28 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



CHAPTER IV. 

CONDITION OF THE ISLAND IN 1849. 

We first went up to a bluff", about half a mile from the 
boat-landing, where we spent an hour in exploring the 
ruins of the fortifications built by the Chilians in 1707. 
There W'as nothing left but the foundation and a portion 
of the ramparts of the principal fort, partly imbedded in 
banks of clay, and neatly covered with moss and weeds. 
It was originally strongly built of large stones, which 
were cast down in every direction by the terrible earth- 
quake of 1835; and now all that remained perfect was 
the front wall of the main rampart and the groundwork 
of the fort. Not far from these ruins we found the con- 
vict cells, which we explored to some extent. 




These cells ai-e dug into the brow of a hill, facing the 
harbor, and extend underground to the distance of sev- 
eral hundred feet, in the form of passages and vaults, re- 
sembling somewhat the Catacombs of Rome. During 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 29 

the penal settlement established here by the Chilian gov- 
ernment, the convicts, numbering sometimes many hund- 
reds, were confined in these gloomy dungeons, where 
they were subjected to the most barbarous treatment. 
The gates or doors by which the entrances were secured 
had all been torn down and destroyed, and the excava- 
tions were now occupied by wild goats, bats, toads, and 
different sorts of vermin. Rank fern hung upon the 
sides ; overhead was dripping with a cold and deathlike 
sweat, and slimy drops coursed down the weeds, and the 
air was damp and chilly ; thick darkness was within in 
the depths beyond — darkness that no wandering gleam 
from the light of day ever reached, for heaven never 
smiled upon those dreary abodes of sin and sorrow. A 
few of Jhe inner dungeons, for the worst criminals, were 
dug still deeper underground, and rough stairways of 
earth led down into them, which were shut out from the 
upper vaults by strong doors. The size of these lower 
dungeons was not more than five or six feet in length 
by four or five in height, from which some idea may be 
formed of the sufferings endured by the poor wretches 
confined in them, shut out from the light of heaven, load- 
ed with heavy irons, crushed down by dank and impen- 
etrable walls of earth, starved and beaten by their cruel 
guards, with no living soul to pity them in their woe, 
no hope of release save in death. We saw, by the aid 
of a torch, deep holes scratched in one of the walls, bear- 
ing the impression of human fingers. It might have been 
that some unhappy murderer, goaded to madness by such 
cruel tortures of body and terrible anguish of mind as 
drive men to tear even their own flesh when buried be- 
fore the vital spark is extinct, had grasped out the earth 
in his desperation, and left the marks in his death ago- 
nies upon the clay that entombed him, to tell what no 
human heart but his had suffered there, no human ear 
had heard, no human eye had witnessed. The deep, 
startling echo breaking upon the heavy air, as we sound- 
ed the walls, seemed yet to mingle with his curses, and 



30 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



its last sepulchral throb was like the dying moan of the 
maniac. 

Some time before the great earthquake, which de- 
stroyed the fortifications and broke up the penal colony, 
a gang of convicts, amounting to three hundred, succeed- 
ed in liberating themselves from their cells. Unable, to 




CONVICT CELLS. 



endure the cruelties inflicted upon them, they broke loose 
from their chains, and, rushing upon the guards, murdered 
the greater part of them, and finally seized the garrison. 
For several days they held complete possession of the 
island. A whale-ship, belonging to Nantucket, happen- 
ing to come in at the time for wood and water, they 
seized the captain, and compelled him to take on board 
as many of them as the vessel could contain. About two 
hundred were put on board. They then threatened the 
captain and officers with instant death in case of any fail- 
ure to land them on the coast of Peru, whither they de- 
termined to go in order to escape the vengeance of the 
Chilian government. Desirous of getting rid of them as 
soon as possible, the captain of the whaler ran over for 
the first land on the coast of Chili, where he put them 
ashore, leaving them ignorant of their position until they 
were unable to regain the vessel. They soon discovered 
that they were only thirty miles from Valparaiso; but, 
short as the distance was from the Chilian authorities, 
they evaded all attempts to capture them, and eventually 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



31 



joined the Peruvian army, which was then advancing 
upon Santiago. The remainder of the prisoners left upon 
the island escaped in different vessels, and were scattered 
over various parts of the world. Only a few of the en- 
tire number engaged in the massacre were ever captured; 
sentence of death was passed upon them, and they were 
shot in the public plaza of Santiago. 

Turning our steps toward the settlement of the pres- 
ent residents, we passed a few hours very agreeably in 
rambling about among their rustic abodes. The total 
number of inhabitants at this period (1849) is sixteen, 
consisting of William Pearce, an American, and four or 
five Chilian men, with their wives and children. No oth- 
ers have lived permanently upon the island for several 
years. There are in all some six or seveu huts, pleasantly 
surrounded by shrubbery, and well supplied with water 




CHILIAN HUTS. 



from a spring. These habitations are built of the straw 
of wild oats, interwoven through wattles or long sticks, 
and thatched with the same, and, whether from design 
or accident, are extremely picturesque. The roofs pro- 
ject so as to form an agreeable shade all round ; the 
doorways are covered in by a sort of projecting porch, 
in the style of the French cottages along the valley of 



32 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

the Seine ; small out-houses, erected upon posts, are scat- 
tered about each inclosure ; and an air of repose and free- 
dom from worldly care pervades the whole place, though 
the construction of the houses and mode of living are 
evidently of the most primitive kind. Seen through the 
green shrubberies that abound in every direction, the 
bright yellow of the cottages, and the smoke curling up 
in the still air, have a very cheerful eifect ; and the prat- 
tling voices of the children, mingled with the lively bleat- 
ing of the kids, and the various pleasant "sounds of do- 
mestic life, might well lead one to think that the seclusion 
of these islanders from the busy world is not without its 
charms. Small patches of ground, fenced with rude stone 
walls and brushwood, are attached to each of these prim- 
itive abodes ; and rustic gateways, overrun with wild and 
luxuriant vines, open in front. Very little attention, how- 
ever, appears to be bestowed upon the cultivation of the 
soil ; but it looks rich and productive, and might be made 
to yield abundant crops by a trifling expenditure of la- 
bor. The Chilians have never been distinguished for in- 
dustry ; nor is there any evidence here that they depart 
from their usual philosophy in taking the world easy. 
Even the American seemed to have caught the prevail- 
ing lethargy, and to be content with as little as possible. 
Vegetables of various kinds grow abundantly wherever 
the seeds are thrown, among which I noticed excellent 
radishes, turnips, beets, cabbages, and onions. Potatoes 
of a very good quality, though not large, are grown in 
small quantities ; and, regarding the natural productive- 
ness of the earth, there seemed to be no reason why they 
should not be cultivated in sufficient quantities to supply 
the demands of vessels touching for supplies, and thereby 
made a profitable source of revenue to the settlers. The 
grass and wild oats grow in wonderful luxuriance in all 
the open spaces, and require little attention ; and such is 
the genial character of the climate, that the cattle, of 
which there seems to be no lack, find ample food to keep 
them in crood condition both in winter and summer. Fig- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 33 

trees, bearing excellent figs, and vines of various sorts, 
flourish luxuriantly on the hill-sides. Of fruits there is 
quite an abundance in the early part of autumn. The 
peaches were just out of season when we arrived, but we 
obtained a few which had been peeled and dried in the 
sun, and we found them large and of excellent flavor. 
Many of the valleys abound in natural orchards, which 
have sprung from the seeds planted there by the early 
voyagers, especially by Lord Anson, who appeared to 
have taken more interest in the cultivation and settle- 
ment of the island than any previous navigator. The 
disasters experienced by the vessels of this distinguished 
adventurer in doubling Cape Horn caused him to make 
Juan Fernandez a rendezvous for the recruiting of his 
disabled seamen, and for many months he devoted his 
attention to the production of such vegetables and fruits 
as he found useful in promoting their recovery ; and hav- 
ing likewise in view the misfortunes and necessities of 
those who might come after him, he caused to be scat- 
tered over the island large quantities of seeds, so that, 
by their increase, abundance and variety of refreshments 
might be had by all future voyagers. He also left ashore 
many different sorts of domestic animals, "in order that 
they might propagate and become general throughout 
the island, for the benefit of shipwrecked mariners, ves- 
sels in distress for provisions, and colonists who might 
hereafter form a settlement there. The philanthropy and 
moral greatness of these benevolent acts, from which the 
author could expect to derive little or no advantage dur- 
ing life, can not be too highly commended. If posthu- 
mous gratitude can be regarded as a reward, LorclAnson 
has a just claim to it. How many lives have Seen saved ; 
how many weather-worn mariners, bowed down with 
disease, have been renewed in health and strength ; how 
many unhappy castaways have found food abundantly 
"where all they could expect was a lingering death, and 
have been sustained in their exile, and restored at last to 
their friends and kindred, through the unselfish benevo- 
lo 2 



34 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

lence of this brave and kind-hearted navigator, no writ- 
ten record exists to tell ; but there are records graven 
upon the hearts of men that are read by an omniscient 
eye — a history of good deeds and their reward, more elo- 
quent than human hand hath written. 

Besides peaches, quinces, and other fruits common in 
temperate climates, there is a species of palm called Chu- 
ta, which produces a fruit of a very rich flavor. Among 
the different varieties of trees are corkwood, sandal, myr- 
tle, and pimento. The soil in some of the valleys on the 
north side is wonderfully rich, owing to deposits of burnt 
earth and decayed vegetable matter washed down from 
the mountains. There is but little level ground on the 
island ; and although the area of tillable soil is small, yet 
by the culture of vineyards on the hill-sides, the grazing 
of sheep and goats on the mountain steeps, and the proper 
cultivation of the arable valleys, a population of several 
thousand might subsist comfortably. Pearce, the Amer- 
ican, who had thoroughly explored every part of the 
island, told me he had no doubt three or four thousand 
people could subsist here without any supply of provis- 
ions from other countries. A ready traffic could be es- 
tablished with vessels passing that way, by means of 
which potatoes, fruits, and other refreshments could be 
bartered for groceries and clothing. Herds of wild cat- 
tle now roam over these beautiful valleys ; fine horses 
may be seen prancing about in gangs, with all the free- 
dom of the mustang ; goats in numerous flocks abound 
among the cliffs ; pigeons and other game are abundant ; 
and wild dogs are continually prowling around the set- 
tlement. 

The few inhabitants at present on the island subsist 
chiefly upon fish, vegetables, and goat-flesh, of which 
they have an ample supply. Boat-loads of the finest cod, 
rockfish, cullet, lobsters, and lamprey eels can be caught 
in a few hours all around the shores of Cumberland Bay, 
and doubtless as plentifully in the other bays. Nothing 
more is necessary than merely the trouble of hauling 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 35 

them out of the water. We fished only for a short time, 
and nearly filled our boat with the fattest fish I ever saw. 
Had I not tested myself a fact told me by some of the 
passengers of the Brooklyn regarding the abundance of 
the smaller sorts offish, I could never have believed it — 
that they will nibble at one's hand if it be put in the wa- 
ter alongside the boat, and a slight ripple made to at- 
tract their attention. This is a remarkable truth, which 
can be attested by any person who has visited these 
shores and made the experiment. There is no place 
among the cliffs where goats may not be seen at all 
times during the day. They live and propagate in the 
caves, and find sufficient browsing throughout the year 
in the clefts of the rocks. Lord Anson mentions that 
some of his hunting parties killed goats which had their 
ears slit, and they thought it more than probable that 
these were the very same goats marked by Alexander 
Selkirk thirty years before ; so that it is not unlikely 
there still exist some of the direct descendants of the 
herds domesticated by the original Crusoe. The resi- 
dents of Cumberland Bay have about their huts a con- 
siderable number of these animals, tamed, for their milk. 
When they wish for a supply of goat-flesh or skins (for 
they often kill them merely for their skins), they go in a 
body to Goat Island, where they surround the goats and 
drive them over a cliff into the sea. As soon as they 
have driven over a sufficient number they take to their 
boat again, and catch them in the water. Some of them 
they bring home alive, and keep them till they require 
fresh meat. Nor are these people destitute of the rarer 
luxuries of life. By furnishing whale-ships that touch 
for supplies of water and vegetables with such produc- 
tions as they can gather up, they obtain in exchange cof- 
fee, ship-bread, flour, and clothing ; and lately they have 
been doing a good business in rowing the passengers 
ashore from the California vessels, and selling them goat- 
skins and various sorts of curiosities. They also charge 
a small duty for keeping the spring of water clear and 



36 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

the boat-landing free from obstructions, and sometimes 
obtain a trifle in the way of port charges, in virtue of 
some pretended authority from the government of Chili. 
The shores of Juan Fernandez abound in many differ- 
ent kinds of marine animals, among which the chief are 
seals and walruses. Formerly sealing vessels made it an 
object to touch for the purpose of capturing them, but 
of late years they have become rather scarce, and at 
present few, if any, vessels visit the island for that pur- 
pose. 




WALKU8, OK SEA LION. 



Situated in the latitude of 33° 40' S., and longitude 19° 
W., the climate is temperate and salubrious — never sub- 
ject to extremes either of heat or cold. In the valleys 
fronting north, the temperature seldom falls below 50° 
Fahr. in the coldest season. Open at all times to the 
pleasant breezes from the ocean, without malaria or any 
thing to produce disease, beautifully diversified in scen- 
ery, and susceptible of being made a convenient stop- 
ping-place for vessels bound to the great northwestern 
continent, it would be difficult to find a more desirable 
place for a colony of intelligent and industrious people, 
who would cultivate the land, build good houses, and 
turn to advantage all the gifts of Providence which have 
been bestowed upon the island. 

The only material drawback is the want of a large and 
commodious harbor, in which vessels could be hauled up 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 37 

for repairs. This island could never answer any other 
purpose than that of a casual stopping-place for vessels 
in want of refreshments, and for this it seems peculiarly 
adapted. The principal harbors are Port English, on the 
south side, visited by Lord Anson in 1741 ; Port Juan, 
on the Avest; and Cumberland Bay, on the north side. 
The latter is the best, and is most generally visited, in 
consequence of being on the fertile side of the island, 
where water also is most easily obtained. None of them 
afford a very secure anchorage, the bottom being deep 
and rocky ; and vessels close to the shore are exposed to 
sudden and violent flaws from the mountains, and the 
danger of being driven on the rocks by gales from the 
ocean. In Cumberland Bay, however, there are places 
where vessels can ride in safety, by choosing a position 
suitable to the prevailing winds of the season. The 
chart and soundings made by Lord Anson will be found 
useful to navigators who design stopping at Juan Fer- 
nandez. 



CHAPTER V. 

robinson crusoe's cave. 

Our next expedition was to Robinson Crusoe's Cave. 
How it obtained that name I am unable to say. The 
people ashore spoke of it confidently as the place where 
a seafaring man had lived for many years alone ; and I 
believe most mariners who have visited the island have 
fixed upon that spot as the actual abode of Alexander 
Selkirk. There are two ways of getting to the cave 
from the regular boat-landing ; one over a high chain of 
I cliffs, intervening between Crusoe's Valley, or the valley 
of the cave, and the Chilian huts near the landing; the 
other by water. The route by land is somewhat diffi- 
cult ; it requires half a day to perform it, and there is 
danger of being dashed to pieces by the loose earth giv- 



38 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

ing way. In many parts of the island the surface of the 
cliffs is composed entirely of masses of burnt clay, which 
upon the slightest touch are apt to roll down, carrying 
every thing with them. Numerous cases are related by 
the early voyagers of accidents to seamen and others, in 
climbing over these treacherous heights. The distance 
by water is only two miles, and by passing along under 
the brow of the cliffs a very vivid idea may be had of 
their strange and romantic formation. We had our guns 
with us, which we did not fail to use whenever there was 
an opportunity ; but the game, consisting principally of 
wild goats, kept so far out of reach on the dizzy heights, 
that they passed through the ordeal in perfect safety. 
Some of us wanted to go by land and shoot them from 
above, thinking the bullets would carry farther when 
fired downward than they seemed to carry when fired 
from below. The rest of the party had so little confi- 
dence in our skill that they dissuaded us from the at- 
tempt, on the pretense that the ship might heave in sight 
while we were absent. 

A pleasant row of half an hour brought us to the little 
cove in Crusoe's Valley. The only landing-place is upon 
an abrupt bank of rocks, and the surf breaking in at this 
part of the shore rather heavily, we had to run the boat 
up in regular beach-comber style. Riding in on the back 
of a heavy sea, we sprang out as soon as the boat struck, 
and held our ground, when, by watching our chance for 
another good sea, we ran her clear out of the water, and 
made her fast to a big rock for fear she might be carried 
away. About two hundred yards from where we land- 
ed we found the cave. 

It lies in a volcanic mass of rock, forming the bluff or 
termination of a rugged ridge, and looks as if it might 
be the doorway into the ruins of some grand old castle. 
The height of the entrance is about fifteen feet, and the 
distance back into the extremity twenty-five or thirty. 
It varies in width from ten or twelve to eighteen feet. 
Within the mouth the sui'face is of reddish rock, with 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND 



39 




CRUSOE 8 CAVE. 



holes or pockets dug into the sides, which it is probable 
were used for cupboards by the original occupant. There 
were likewise large spike-nails driven into the rock, upon 
which we thought it likely clothing, guns, and household 
utensils might have been hung even at as remote a date 
as the time of Selkirk, for they were very rusty, and bore 
evidence of having been driven into the rock along time 
ago. A sort of stone oven, with a sunken place for fire 
underneath, was partly visible in the back part of the 
cave, so that by digging away the earth we uncovered 
it, and made out the purpose for which it was built. 
There was a darkish line, about a foot wide, reaching up 
to the roof of the cave, which, by removing the surface a 
little, we discovered to be produced originally by smoke, 
cemented in some sort by a drip that still moistened the 
wall, and this Ave found came through a hole in the top, 
which we concluded was the original chimney, now cov- 
ered over with deposits of earth and leaves from the 
mountain above. In rooting about the fireplace, so as to 
get away the loose rubbish that lay over it, one of our 



40 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

party brought to light an earthen vessel, broken a little 
on one side, but otherwise perfect. It was about eight 
inches in diameter at the rim, and an inch or two small- 
er at the bottom, and had some rough marks upon the 
outside, which we were unable to decipher, on account 
of the clay which covered it. Afterward we took it out 
and washed it in a spring near by, when we contrived to 
decipher one letter and a part of another, with a portion 
of the date. The rest unfortunately was on the piece 
which had been broken off, and which we were unable 
to find, although we searched a long time ; foi', as may be 
supposed, we felt curious to know if it was the handi- 
work of Alexander Selkirk. For my own part, I had 
but little doubt that this was really one of the earthen 
pots made by his own hands, and the reason I thought 
so was that the parts of the letters and date which we 
deciphei'ed corresponded with his name and the date of 
his residence, and likewise because it was evident that it 
must have been imbedded in the ground out of which 
we dug it long beyond the memory of any living man. 
I was so convinced of this, and so interested in the dis- 
covery, that I made a rough drawing of it on the spot, 
of which I have since been very glad, inasmuch as it was 
accidentally dropped out of the boat afterward and lost 
in the sea. 




A RELIC OP OK08OB. 



We searched in vain for other relics of the kind, but 
all we could find were a few rusty pieces of iron and 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



41 



some old nails. The sides of the cave, as also the top, 
had marks scattered over them of different kinds, doubt- 
less made there in some idle moment by human hands ; 
but we were unable to make out that any of them had 
a meaning beyond the unconscious expression of those 
vague and wandering thoughts which must have passed 
occasionally through the mind of the solitary mariner 
who dwelt in this lonely place. They may have been 
symbolical of the troubled and fluctuating character of 
his religious feelings before he became a confirmed be- 
liever in the wisdom and mercy of Divine Providence, 
which unhappy state of mind he often refers to in the 
course of his narrative. 




CRUSOE S DEVOTIONS. 



This cave is now occupied only by wild goats and 
bats, and had not been visited, perhaps, by any human 
being, until recently, more than once or twice in half a 
century, and then probably only by some deserter from 
a whale-ship, who preferred solitude and the risk of starv- 
ation to the cruelty of a brutish captain. 

In front of the cave, sloping down to the sea-side, is a 
plain covered with long rank grass, wild oats, radishes, 
Aveeds of various kinds, and a few small peach-trees. The 
latter we supposed were of the stock planted in the island 



42 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

by Lord Anson. From the interior of the cave we looked 
out over the tangled mass of shrubs, wild flowers, and 
waving grass in front, and saw that the sea was covered 
with foam, and the surf beat against the point beyond 
the cove, and flew up in the air to a prodigious height in 
white clouds of spray. Large birds wheeled about over 
the rocky heights, sometimes diving suddenly into the 
water, from which they rose again flecked with foam, 
and, soaring upward in the sunlight, their wings seemed 
to sparkle with jewels out of the ocean. Following the 
curve of the horizon, the view is suddenly cut off by a 
huge cliff" of lava that rises directly out of the water to 
the height of twelve or fifteen hundred feet. It forms 
an abrupt precipice in front, and joins a range of rugged 
cliffs behind, which all abound in wonderful ledges over- 
looking the depths below, dark and lonesome caverns, 
and sharp pinnacles piercing the clonds in every direc- 
tion. Goat-paths wind around them in places apparently 
inaccessible, and we saw herds of goats running swiftly 
along the dizzy heights overhanging the sea, where we 
almost fancied the birds of the air would fear to fly ; they 
bounded over the frightful fissures in the rocks, and clung 
to the walls of cliffs with wonderful agility and tenacity 
of foot, and sometimes they were so high up that they 
looked hardly bigger than rabbits, and we thought it im- 
possible that they could be goats. 




THE VALLEY WITH THE CAVE AND CLIFF. 



Looking back into the A^alley, we beheld mountains 
stretching up to a hundred different peaks, the sides 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 43 

covered with woods and fields of golden-colored oats, 
and the ravines fringed with green banks of grass and 
wild flowers of every hue. A stream of pure spring wa- 
ter rippled down over the rocks, and wound through the 
centre of the valley, breaking out at intervals into bright 
cascades, which glimmered freshly in the warm rays of 
the sun ; its margins were fringed with rich grass and 
fragrant flowers, and groves of myrtle overhung the little 
lakelets that were made in its course, and seemed to lin- 
ger there like mirrored beauties spell-bound. Ridges of 
amber-colored earth, mingled with rugged and moss-cov- 
ered lava, sloped down from the mountains on every side 
and converged into the valley, as if attracted by its ro- 
mantic beauties. Immense masses of rock, cast off* from 
the towering cliffs by some dread convulsion of the ele- 
ments, had fallen from the heights, and now lay nestling 
in the very bosom of the valley, enamored with its charms. 
Even the birds of the air seemed spell-bound within this 
enchanted circle ; their songs were low and soft, and I 
fancied they hung in the air with a kind of rapture when 
they rose out of their sylvan homes, and looked down at 
all the wondrous beauties that lay outspread beneath 
them. - 

Some of us scattered off into the woods of myrtle, or 
lay down by the spring in the pleasant shade of the trees, 
and bathed our faces and drank of the cool water ; oth- 
ers went up the hill-sides in search of peaches, or gath- 
ered seeds and specimens of wild flowers to carry home. 
Too happy in the change, after our gloomy passage round 
Cape Horn, I rambled up the valley alone, and dreamed 
glowing day-dreams of Robinson Crusoe. Of all the 
islands of the sea, this had ever been the paradise of my 
boyish fancy. Even later in life, when some hard expe- 
rience before the mast had worn off a good deal of the 
romance of sea-life, I could never think of Juan Fernan- 
dez without a strong desire to be shipwrecked there, and 
spend the remainder of my days dressed in goatskins, 
rambling about the cliffs, and hunting wild goats. It 



44 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 




DREAM-LAND (JEUSOB. 



was a very imprudent desire, to be sure, not at all sensi- 
ble ; but I am now making a confession of facts rather 
out of the common order, and for which it would be use- 
less to offer any excuse. Pleasant scenes of my early 
life rose up before me now with all their original fresh- 
ness. How well I remembered the first time I read the 
surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe ! It was in 
the country, where I had never learned the worldly wis- 
dom of the rising generation in cities. Indeed, I had 
never seen a city, and only knew by hearsay that such 
wonderful places existed. My father, after an absence 
of some weeks, returned with an illustrated volume of 
Crusoe, bound in cream-colored muslin (how plainly I 
could see that book now!), which he gave me, with a 
smiling admonition not to commence reading it for two 
or three years, by which time he hoped I would be old 
enough to understand it. That very night I was in a 
new world — a world all strange and fascinating, yet to 
me as real as the world around me. How I devoured 
each enchanting page, and sighed to think of ever get- 
ting through such a delightful history. It was the first 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



45 




FAIRY COVE. 



book beyond mere fairy tales (which I had almost begun 
to doubt), the first narrative descriptive of real life that 
I had ever read. Such a thing as a doubt as to its entire 
truthfulness never entered my head. I lingered over it 
Avith the most intense and credulous interest, and long 
after parental- authority had compelled me to give it up 
for the night, my whole soul was filled with a confusion 
of novel and delightful sensations. Before daylight I 
was up again ; I could not read in the dark, but I could 
open the magic book and smell the leaves fresh from the 
press ; and before the type was visible I could trace out 
the figures in the prints, and gaze in breathless wonder 
upon the wild man in the goatskins. 

The big tears stood in my eyes when I was through ; 



46 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



but I found consolation in reading it again and again ; in 
picturing out a thousand things that perhaps De Foe 
never dreamt of; and each night when I went to bed I 
earnestly prayed to God that I might some day or other 
be cast upon a desolate island, and live to become as won- 
derful a man as Robinson Crusoe. Yet, not content with 
that, I devoted all my leisure hours to making knife-cases, 
caps, and shot-pouches out of rabbit-skins, in the faint 
hope that it would hasten the blissful disaster. Years 
passed away ; I lived on the banks of the Ohio ; I had 
been upon the ocean. Still a boy in years, and more so 
perhaps in feeling, the dream was not ended. I gathered 
up drift-wood, and built a hut among the rocks ; whole 
days I lay there thinking of that island in the fai*-off seas. 
A piece of tarred plank from some steam-boat had a 
sweeter scent to me than the most odorous flower; for, 
as I lay smelling it by the hour, it brought up such ex- 
quisite visions of shipwreck as never before, perhaps, so 
charmed the fancy of a dreaming youth. Well I remem- 
bered, too, the favored few that I let into the secret ; how 
we went every afternoon to a sand-bar, and called it Cru- 
soe's Island ; how I was Robinson Crusoe, and the friend 
of my heart Fi-iday, whom I caused to be painted from 
head to foot with black mud, as also the rest of my 




KKSOTJE OP FRIDAY. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 47 

friends ; and then the battles we had ; the devouring of 
the dead men ; the horrible dances, and chasing into the 
water ; and, above all, the rescue of my beloved Friday — 
how vividly I saw those scenes again ! 

Years passed on ; I was a sailor before the mast. Alas ! 
what a sad reality ! I saw men flogged like beasts ; I saw 
cruelty, hardship, disease, death in their worst forms ; so 
much I saw that I was glad to take the place of a wan- 
dering outcast upon the shores of a sickly island ten 
thousand miles from home, to escape the horrors of that 
life. Yet the dream was not ended. Bright and beau- 
tiful as ever seemed to me that little world upon the seas, 
where dwelt in solitude the shipwrecked mariner. In 
the vicissitudes of fortune, I was again a wanderer ; im- 
pelled by that vision of island-life which for seventeen 
years had never ceased to haunt me, I cast all upon the 
hazard of a die — escaped in an open boat through the 
perils of a storm, and now — where was I ? What pleas- 
ant sadness was it that weighed upon my heart ? Was 
all this a dream of youth ; was it here to end, never more 
to give one gleam of joy; Avas the happy credulity, the 
freshness, the enthusiasm of boyhood gone forever? 
Could it be that this was not Crusoe's Valley at last — 
this spot, which I had often seen in fancy from the banks 
of the Ohio, dim in the mist of seas that lay between ? 
Did I really wander through it, or was it still a dream ? 

And where was the king of the island ; the hero of 
my boyish fancy; he who had delighted me with the 
narrative of his romantic career, as man had never done 
before, as all the pleasures of life have never done since ; 
where was the genial, the earnest, the adventurous Rob- 
inson Crusoe ? Could it be that there was no " mortal 
mixture of earth's mould in him ;" that he was barely 
the simple mariner Alexander Selkirk ? No ! no ! Rob- 
inson Crusoe himself had wandered through these very 
groves of myrtle ; he had quenched his thirst in the spring 
that bubbled through the moss at my feet; had slept 
during the glare of noon in the shade of those overhang- 



48 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

ing grottoes ; had dreamed his day-dreams in these se- 
cluded glens. 




CRUSOE ASLEEP. 



Here, too, Friday had followed his master ; the simple, 
childlike Friday, the most devoted of servants, the gen- 
tlest of savages, the faithfullest of men ! Blessing on thee, 
Robinson, how I have admired thy prolific genius; how 
I have loved thee for thine honest truthfulness ! And 
blessings on thee, Friday, how my young heart hath 
warmed toward thee ! how I have laughed at thy scald- 
ed fingers, and wept lest the savages should take thee 
away from me ! * * * 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE VALLEY ON FIRE. 

There was a sudden rustling in the bushes. 

" Hallo, there !" shouted a voice. I looked round and 
beheld a fellow-passenger, a strange, eccentric man, who 
was seldom known to laugh, and whose chief pleasure 
consisted in reducing every thing to the practical stand- 
ard of common sense. He was deeper than would ap- 
pear at first sight, and not a bad sort of person at heart, 
but a little wayward and desponding in his views of life. 

" You'll catch cold," said he ; " nothing gives a cold 
so quick as sitting on the damp ground." 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 49 

" True," said I, smiling; " but recollect the romance of 
the thing." 

" Romance," rejoined the sad man, " won't cure a cold. 
I never knew it to cure one in my life." 

" Well, I suppose you're right. Every body is right 
who believes in nothing but reality. The hewer of wood 
and the drawer of water gets more credit in the world 
for good sense than the unhappy genius who affords 
pleasure to thousands." 

" So he ought — he's a much more useful man." 

" Granted ; we won't dispute so well-established a tru- 
ism. Now let us cut a few walking-sticks to carry home. 
It will please our friends to find that we thought of them 
in this outlandish part of the world." 

" To be sure ; if you like. But you'll never carry them 
home. No, sir, you can't do it. You'll lose them before 
you get half way to America." 

" No matter — they cost nothing. Lend me your knife, 
and we'll try the experiment, at all events." 

I then cut a number of walking-sticks and tied them 
up in a bundle. And here, while the warning of the 
doubter is fresh in my mind, let me mention the fate of 
these much-valued relics. I cut four beautiful sticks of 
myrtle, every one of which I lost before I reached Cali- 
fornia, though I was very careful where I kept them — so 
careful, indeed, that I hid them away on board the ship 
and never could find them again. 

On our way back to the cave, as we emerged from the 
grove, I was astonished to see the entire valley in a blaze 
of fire. It raged and crackled up the sides of the mount- 
ains, blazing wildly and filling the whole sky with smoke. 
The beautiful valley upon which I had gazed with such 
delight a few hours before, seemed destined to be laid 
waste by some fierce and unconquerable destroyer, that 
devoured trees, shrubs, and flowers in its desolating ca- 
reer. The roar of the mad rushing flames, the seething 
tongues of fire shooting out from the bowers of shrub- 
bery, the whirling smoke sweeping upward around the 

C 



50 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

jiinnacles of rock, tbe angry sea dimly seen through the 
chaos, and the sharp screaming of the sea-birds and dis- 
mal howling of the wild dogs, impressed me with a ter- 
rible picture of desolation. It seemed as if some dread- 
ful convulsion of nature had burst forth soon to cover 
the island with seething lava or ingulf it in the ocean. 

" What can it be ?" said I. " Isn't it a grand sight ? 
Perhaps a volcano has broken out. Surely it must be 
some awful visitation of Providence. It wouldn't be 
comfortable, however, to be broiled in lava, so I think 
the sooner we get down to the boats the bettei - ." 

" There's no hurry," said my friend ; " it's nothing but 
the Californians down at the cave. I told them before 
I left that they'd set fire to the grass if they kept piling 
the brush up in that way. Now you see they've done 
it." 

" Yes, I see they have ; and a tolerably big fire they've 
made of it too." 

I almost forgave them the wanton act of Vandalism, 
so sublime was the scene. It was worth a voyage round 
Cape Horn to see it. 

" Plenty of it," muttered the sad man, " to cook all the 
food that can be raised in these diggings. I wouldn't 
give an acre of ground in Illinois for the w r hole island. 
I only wish they'd burn it up while they're at it — if it be 
an island at all, which I ain't quite sure of yet." 

THE CALIFORNIANS IN JUAN FERNANDEZ. 

We reached the cave by rushing through the flames. 
When we arrived hear the mouth, I was amused to find 
about twenty long-bearded Californians, dressed in red 
shirts, with leather belts round their bodies, garnished 
with knives and pistols, and picks in their hands, with 
which they were digging into the walls of Selkirk's cas- 
tle in search of curiosities. Their guns were stacked up 
outside, and several of the party were engaged in cook- 
ing fish and boiling coffee. They had battered away at 
the sides, top, and bottom of the cave in their eager 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



51 



search for relics, till they had left scarcely a dozen square 
feet of the original surface. Every man had literally his 
pocket full of rocks. It was a curious sight, here in this 
solitary island, scarcely known to mariners save as the 
resort of pirates, deserters, and buccaneers, and chiefly 
to the reading world at home as the land of Robinson 
Crusoe, to see these adventurous Americans in their red 
shirts, lounging about the veritable castle of the " wild 




llii. CAHF0UNIAN8 IN JUAN FERNANDEZ. 

man in the goatskins," digging out the walls, smoking 
cigars, whittling sticks, and talking in plain English about 
California and the election of General Taylor. Some of 
them even went so far as to propose a " prospecting" 
expedition through Crusoe's Valley in search of gold, 
while others got up a warm debate on the subject of an- 
nexation — the annexation of Juan Fernandez. One long, 
lank, slab-sided fellow, with a leathern sort of face, and 
two copious streams of tobacco-juice running down from 
the corners of his mouth, was leaning on his pick outside 
the cave, spreading forth his sentiments for the benefit 
of the group of gentlemen who were cooking the fish. 

" I tell you, feller-citizens," said he, aroused into some- 
thing like prophetic enthusiasm as the subject warmed 
upon his mind, " I tell you it's manifest destiny. Joo-nn 



52 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

Fernandays is bound by all the rights of con-san-guity to 
be a part of the great Ree-public of Free States. Gen- 
tlemen, I'm a destiny-man myself; I go the whole figure, 
sir ; yes, sir, I'm none of your old Hunkers. I go for 
Joo-an Fernandays and California, and any other small 
patches of airth that may be laying around the vicinity. 
We want 'em all, gentlemen ; we want 'em for our whale- 
ships and the yeomanry of our country ! (cheers.) We'll 
buy 'em from the Spaniards, sir, with our gold; if Ave 
can't buy 'em sir, by hokey ! we'll take 'em, sir ! (Re- 
newed cheers.) I ask you, gentlemen — I appeal to your 
feelins as feller-citizens of thee greatest concatenation of 
states on tliee face of God's airth, are you the men that'll 
refuse to fight for your country ? (Cheers, and cries of 
No, no, we ain't the men ; hurra for Joo-an Fernandays !) 
Then, by Jupiter, sir, we'll have it ! We'll have it as 
sure as the Star of Empire shines like the bright Loo- 
min-ary of Destiny in the broad Panoply of Heaven (and 
more especially in the western section of it). We'll have 
it, sir, as sure as that redolent and inspiring Loominary 
beckons us on, sir, like a dazzling joo-el on the pre-moni- 
tary finger of Hope ; and the glorious Stars and Stripes, 
feller-citizens, shall wave proudly in the zephyrs of futu- 
rity over the exalted peaks of Joo-an Fernandays !" 
(Tremendous sensation, during which the orator takes a 
fresh chew of tobacco, and sits down.) 

As soon as the party of annexationists perceived us, 
they called out to us to heave to, and make ourselves at 
home. " Come on, gentlemen, come on ! No ceremony. 
We're all Americans ! this is a free country. Here's 
fish ! here's bread ! here's coffee ! Help yourselves, gen- 
tlemen ! This is a great country, gentlemen — a great 
country !" Of course we fell to work upon the fish, 
which was a splendid cod, and the bread and the coffee 
too, and very palatable we found them all, and exceed- 
ingly jolly and entertaining the " gentlemen from the 
Brooklyn." These lively individuals had made the most 
of their time in the way of enjoying themselves ashore. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 53 

About a week before our arrival they gave a grand par- 
ty in honor of the American nation in general. It was 
in rather a novel sort of place, to be sure, but none the 
worse for that — one of the large caves near the boat- 
landing. On this eventful occasion they " scared up," 
as they alleged, sundry delicacies from home, such as pre- 
served meats, pound-cake, Champagne, and wines of vari- 
ous sorts, and out of their number they produced a full 
band of music. They also, by clearing the earth and 
beating it down, made a very good place for dancing, 
and they had waltzes, polkas, and cotillons, in perfect 
ballroom style. It was rather a novel entertainment, 
take it altogether, in the solitudes of Juan Fernandez. I 
have forgotten whether the four Chilian ladies of the 
island attended ; if they did not, it was certainly not for 
want of an invitation. The American Crusoe was there, 
no longer monarch of all he surveyed. Poor fellow, his 
reign was over. The Californians were the sovereigns 
now. 

After our snack with the Brooklynites, we joined our 
comrades down on the beach. They had shot at a great 
many wild goats, without hitting any, of course. The 
rest of the afternoon we spent in catching fish for supper. 




54 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



CHAPTER VII. 

the' cave of the buccaneers. 

It now began to grow late, and we thought it best to 
look about us for some place where we could sleep. Cap- 
tain Richardson very kindly offered us the use of his cab- 
in, but he was crowded with passengers, and we preferred 
staying ashore. There was something novel in sleeping 
ashore, but neither novelty nor comfort in a vessel with a 
hundred and eighty Californians on board. Brigham and 
a few others took our boat, and went over near the old 
fort to search out a camping-ground, while the rest of the 
party and myself started off with the captain to explore 
a grotto. We had a couple of sailors to row us, which 
helped to make the trip rather pleasant. 

Turning a point of rocks, we steered directly into the 
mouth of the grotto, and ran in some forty or fifty feet, 
till nearly lost in darkness. It was a very wild and rug- 
ged place — a fit abode for the buccaneers. 

The cliff into which the cave runs is composed of great 
rocks, covered on top with a soil of red, burned earth. 
The swell of the sea broke upon the base with a loud 
roar, and the surf, rolling inward into the depths of the 
grotto, made a deep reverberation, like the dashing of 
water under a bridge. There was some difficulty in ef- 
fecting a landing among these subterranean rocks, which 
were round and slippeiy. The water was very deep, and 
abounded in seaweed. On gaining a dry place, we found 
the interior quite lofty and spacious, and tending upward 
into the very bowels of the mountain. Some said there 
was a way out clear up in the middle of the island. 
Overhead it was hung with stalactites, some of which 
were of great size and wonderful formation. Abraham 
and myself climbed up in the dark about a hundred feet, 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 55 

where we entirely lost sight of the mouth, and could 
hardly see an inch before us. As we turned back and 
began to descend, our friends down below looked like 
gigantic monsters standing in the rays of light near the 
entrance. I broke off some pieces of rock and put them 
in my pocket, as tokens of my visit to this strange place. 
On reaching the boat again, we found a group of our 
comrades seated around a natural basin in the rocks, re- 
galing themselves on bread and water. The water, I 
think, was the clearest and best I ever tasted. It trick- 
led down from the top of the cave, and fell into the basin 
with a most refreshing sound. I drank a pint gobletful, 
and found it uncommonly cool and pure. Nothing more 
remaining to be seen, we started oif for the boat-landing, 
near the huts, where we parted with our friend the cap- 
tain, and then, it being somewhat late, we went in search 
of our party. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

LODGINGS UNDER GROUND. 

When we arrived on the ground selected by Brigham 
and the others, we found that they had made but little 
progress in cutting wood for the posts, and much re- 
mained to be done before we could get up the tent. 

Heavy clouds hung over the tops of the mountains ; 
the surf moaned dismally upon the rocks ; big drops of 
rain began to strike us through the gusts of wind that 
swept down over the cliffs, and there was every prospect 
of a wet and stormy night. It was now quite dark. 
After some talk, we thought it best to abandon our plan 
of sleeping under the sail. Finally, we agreed to go in 
search of a cave under the brow of a neighboring cliff. 
We had seen it during the day, and although a very un- 
promising place, we thought it would serve to protect us 
against the rain. We therefore took our oars and sail 



56 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

upon our shoulders, together with what few weapons of 
defense we had, and stumbled about in the dark for some 
time, till we had the good fortune to find the mouth of 
the cave. In the course of a few minutes we struck 
a light by a lucky chance, and then looked in. There 
seemed to be no bottom to it, and, so far as we could 
perceive, neither sides nor top. Certainly there was not 
a living soul about the premises to deny us admission ; 
so we crept down, as we thought, into the bowels of the 
earth, and, seeing nobody there, took possession of our 
lodgings, such as they were. 

It was a damp and gloomy place enough, reeking with 
mould, and smelling very strong of strange animals. The 
rocks hung gaping over our heads, as if ready to fall 
down upon us at the mere sound of our voices; the 
ground was covered with dirty straw, left there proba- 
bly by some deserters from a whale-ship, and all around 
the sides were full of holes, which we supposed from 
the smell must be inhabited by foxes, rats, and perhaps 
snakes, though we were afterward told there were no 
reptiles on the island. We soon found that there were 
plenty of spiders and fleas in the straw. The ground 
being damp, we spread our sail over it, in order to make 
a sort of bed ; and, being in a measure protected by a 
clump of bushes placed in the entrance by the previous 
occupants to keep out the wind and rain, we did not al- 
together despair of passing a tolerably comfortable night. 

For a while there was not much said by any body ; 
we w r ere all busy looking about us. Some were looking 
at the rocks overhead ; some into the holes, where they 
thought there might be wild animals ; and myself and a 
few others were trying to light a fire in the back part of 
the cave. It smoked so that we had to give it up at last, 
for it well-nigh stifled the whole party. 

By this time, being all tired, we lay down, and had 
some talk about Robinson Crusoe. 

" If he lived in such holes as this," said one, " I don't 
think he had much sleep." 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



51 



"No," muttered another, "that sort of thing reads a 
good deal better than it feels ; hut there's no telling how 
a man may get used to it. Eels get used to being skin- 
ned, and I've heard of a horse that lived on five straws 
a day." 

" For my part," adds a third, " I like it : there's ro- 
mance about it — and convenience too, in some respects. 
For the matter of clothing, a man could wear goatskins. 
Tailors never dunned Robinson Crusoe. It goes a great 
way toward making a man happy to be independent of 
fashion. Being dunned makes a man miserable." 

"Yes, it makes him travel a long way sometimes," 
sighs another, thoughtfully. " I'd be willing to live here 
a few years to get rid of society. What a glorious thing 
it must be to have nothing to do but hunt wild goats ! 
Robinson had a jolly time of it ; no accounts to make 
out, no office-hours to keep, nobody to call him to account 
every morning for being ten minutes too late, in conse- 
quence of a frolic. Talking about frolics, he wasn't 
tempted with liquor, or bad company either; he chose 
his own company : he had his parrot, his goats, his man 
Friday — all steady sort of fellows, with no nonsense 
about them. I'll venture to say they never drank any 
thing stronger than water." 




CBUSOE AMU 1118 OOMBADI B. 

C2 



58 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

" No," adds another, gloomily, " it isn't likely they ap- 
plied ' hot and rebellious liquors to their blood.' But a 
man. who lives alone has no occasion to drink. He has 
no love affairs on hand to drive him to it." 

" Nor a scolding wife. I've known men to go all the 
way to California to get rid of a woman's tongue." 

There was a pause here, as most of the talkers began 
to drop off to sleep. 

" Gentlemen," said somebody in the party, who had 
been listening attentively to the conversation, "I don't 
believe a single word of it. I don't believe there ever 
was such a man as Robinson Crusoe in the world. I 
don't believe there ever was such a man as Friday. In 
my opinion, the whole thing is a lie, from beginning to 
end. I consider Robinson Crusoe a humbug !" 

" Who says it's all a lie ?" cried several voices, fierce- 
ly ; " who calls Robinson Crusoe a humbug ?" 

" That is to say," replied the culprit, modifying the re- 
mark, " I don't think the history is altogether true. Such 
a person might have lived here, but he added something 
on when he told his story. He knew very well his man 
Friday, or his dogs and parrots were not going to expose 
his falsehoods." 

" Pooh ! you don't believe in any thing ; you never did 
believe in any thing since you were born. Perhaps you 
don't believe in that. Are you quite sure you are here 
yourself?" 

" Well, to be candid, when I look about me and see 
what a queer sort of a place it is, I don't feel quite sure ; 
there's room for doubt." 

" Doubt, sir ! doubt ? Do you doubt Friday ? Do 
you think there's room for doubt in him ?" 

"Possibly there may have been such a man. I say 
there may have been ; I wouldn't swear to it." 

" Fudge, sir ! fudge ! The fact is, you make yourself 
ridiculous. You are troubled with dyspepsia." 

" I am rayther dyspeptic, gentlemen, rayther so. I 
hope you'll excuse me, but I can't exactly say I believe 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 59 

in Crusoe. It ain't ray fault — the belief ain't naturally 
in me." 

Upon which, having made this acknowledgment, we 
let him alone, and he turned over and went to sleep. 
We now pricked up our lamp, and prepai'ed to follow 
his example, when a question arose as to the propriety 
of standing watches during the night — a precaution 
thought necessary by some in consequence of the treach- 
erous character of the Spaniards. There were eleven of 
us, which would allow one hour to each person. For my 
part, I thought there was not much danger, and proposed 
letting every man who felt uneasy stand watches for him- 
self. We had labored without rest for thirty-six hours, 
and I was willing to trust to Providence for safety, and 
make the most of our time for sleeping. A majority be- 
ing of the same opinion, the plan of standing watches was 
abandoned; and having loaded our two guns, we placed 
them in a convenient position commanding the mouth of 
the cave. I got the harpoon and stood it up near me, 
for I had made up my mind to fasten on to the first 
Spaniard that came within reach. 

ATTACK OF THE ROBBERS. 

Scarcely had we closed our eyes and fallen into a rest- 
less cloze, when a nervous gentleman in the party rose 
up on his hands and knees, and cautiously uttered these 
words : 

" Friends, don't you think we'd better put out the 
light. The Spaniards may be armed, and if they come 
here, the lamp will show them where we are, and they'll 
be sure to take aim at our heads." 

" Sure enough," whispered two or three at once, 
" we didn't think of that ; they can't see us in the dark, 
however, unless they have eyes like cats. Let us put 
out the light, by all means." 

So with that we were about to put out the light, when 
the man who had doubts in regard to Robinson Crusoe 
rose up on his hands and knees likewise, and said, 



60 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

" Hold on ! I think you'd better not do that. It 
ain't policy. I don't believe in it myself." 

" Confound it, sir," cried half a dozen voices, angrily, 
"you don't believe in any thing. What's the reason 
you don't believe in it, eh ? What's the reason, sir ?" 

" Well, I'll tell you why. Because, if you put out the 
light, we can't see where to shoot. Likely as not we'd 
shoot one another. If I feel certain of any thing, it is, 
that I'd be the first man shot ; it's my luck. I know I'd 
be a dead man before morning." 

There was something in this suggestion not to be 
laughed at. The most indignant of us felt the full force 
of it. To shoot our enemies in self-defense seemed rea- 
sonable enough, but to shoot any of our own party, even 
the man who doubted Robinson Crusoe, would be a very 
serious calamity. At last, after a good deal of talk, we 
compromised the matter by putting the lamp under an 
old hat with a hole in the top. This done, we tried to 
go to sleep. 

Brio;ham went to the mouth of the cave about mid- 
night to take an observation. He was armed with one 
of the guns. 

" What's that ?" said he, sharply ; " I hear something ! 
Gentlemen, I hear something ! Hallo ! who goes there ?" 

There was no answer. Nothing could be heard but 
the moaning of the surf down on the beach. 

"A Spaniard ! by heavens, a Spaniard ! I'll shoot him 
— I'll shoot him through the head !" 

" Don't fire, Brigham," said I, for I wanted a chance 
to fasten on with the harpoon ; " wait till he comes up, 
and ask him what he wants." 

"Ahoy there! What do you want ? Answer quick, 
or I'll shoot you ! Speak, or you're a dead man !" 

All hands were now in commotion. We rushed to 
the mouth of the cave in a body, determined to defend 
ourselves to the last extremity. 

" Gentlemen," cried Brigham, a little confused, " it's a 
goat ! I see him now, in the rays of the moon ; a live 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. Gl 

goat, coming down the cliff. Shall I kill him for break- 
fast ?" 

" Wait," said I, " till he comes a little closer ; I'll bend 
on to him with the harpoon." 

" You'd better let him alone," said the Doubter, in a 
sepulchral voice. " Likely as not it's a tame goat or a 
chicken belonging to the American down there." 

"A tame devil, sir! How do you suppose they could 
keep tame goats in such a place as this. Your remark 
concerning the chicken is beneath contempt !" 

" Well, I don't know why. Tain't my nature to take 
an entire goat without proof. I thought it might be a 
chicken." 

" Then you'd better go and satisfy yourself, if you're 
not afraid." 

The Doubter did so. He walked a few steps toward 
the object, so as to get sight of its outline, and then re- 
turned, saying, 

" That thing there isn't a goat at all — neyther is it a 
chicken." 

" What is it, then ?" 

" Nothing but a bush." 

"What makes it move ?" 

"The wind, I suppose. I don't know what else could 
make it move, for it ain't got the first principle of animal 
life in it. Bushes don't walk about of nights any more 
than they do in the daytime. I never did believe in it 
from the beginning, and I told you so, but you wouldn't 
listen to me." 

We said nothing in reply to this, but returned into 
the cave and lay down again upon the sail. 



62 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



CHAPTER IX. 



COOKING FISH. 



Most of the party were snoring in about ten minutes. 
For myself, I found it impossible to sleep soundly. The 
gloomy walls of rock, the strange and romantic situation 
into Which chance had thrown me, the remembrance of 
what I had read of this island in early youth, the dismal 
moaning of the surf down on the beach, all contributed 
to confuse my mind. An hour or two before daylight, 
I was completely chilled through by the dampness of 
the ground, and entirely beyond sleep. 

I heard some voices outside, and got up to see who 
was talking. Lest it might be the Spaniards, I took the 
harpoon with me. At the mouth of one of the convict- 
cells near by I found four of my comrades, who, unable 
to pass the time any other way, had lit a fire and were 
baking some fish. They had dug a hole in the ground, 
which they lined with flat stones, so as to form a kind 
of oven ; this they heated with coals. Then they wrap- 




CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 63 

ped up a large fish in some leaves, and put it in ; and by 
covering the top over with fire, the fish was very nicely 
baked. I think I never tasted any thing more delicate 
or better flavored. We had an abundant meal, which 
we relished exceedingly. The smoke troubled us a good 
deal ; but, by telling stories of shipwreck, and wonder- 
ing what our friends at home would think if they could 
see us here cooking fish, we contrived to pass an hour or 
so very pleasantly. I then went back into the cave, and 
turned in once more upon the sail. 

Of course, after eating fish at so unusual an hour, I 
had a confusion of bad dreams. Perhaps they were vis- 
ions. In this age of spiritual visitations, it is not alto- 
gether unlikely the spirits of the island got possession 
of me. At all events, I saw Robinson Crusoe dressed in 
goatskins, and felt him breathe, as plainly as I see this 
paper and feel this pen. How could I heljD it ? for I act- 
ually thought it was myself that had been shipwrecked ; 
that I was the very original Crusoe, and no other but the 
original ; and I fancied that Abraham had turned black, 
and was running about with a rag tied round his waist, 
and I called him my man Friday, and fully believed him 
to be Friday. Sometimes I opened my eyes and looked 
round the dismal cavern, and clenched my fists, and 
hummed an old air of former times to try if Robinson 
had become totally savage in his nature ; but it was all 
the same, there was no getting rid of the illusion. 

The dawn of day came. No ship was in sight. The 
sea was white with foam, and gulls were soaring about 
over the rock-bound shores. I walked down to a spring 
and bathed my head, which was hot and feverish for 
want of rest. 

Bright and early we started off" on a goat-hunt among 
the mountains. Several passengers from the Brooklyn, 
well provided with guns, joined the party, and the en- 
thusiasm was general. It had been my greatest desire, 
from the first sight of the island, to ascend a high peak 
between the harbor and Crusoe's Valley, and by follow- 



64 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



ing the ridge from that point, to explore as far as prac- 
ticable the interior. For this purpose, I selected as a 
companion my friend Abraham, in whose enthusiastic 
spirit and powers of endurance I had great confidence. 
He was heartily pleased to join me; so, buckling up our 
belts, Ave branched off from the party, who by this time 
were peppering away at the wild goats. We were soon 
well up on the mountain. Another adventurer joined us 
before we reached the firct elevation ; but he was so ex- 
hausted by the effort, and so unfavorably impressed by 
the frightful appearance "of the precipices all round, that 
he was forced to abandon the expedition and return into 
the valley. We speedily lost sight of him, as he crept 
down among the declivities. 




The side of the mountain which we were ascending 
was steep and smooth, and was covered with a growth 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 65 

of long grass and wild oats, which made it very hard to 
keep the goat-paths ; and all about us, except where these 
snake-like traces lay, was as smooth and sloping as the 
roof of a house. There was one part of the mountain 
that sloped down in an almost perpendicular line to the 
verge of the cliff overhanging the sea, where the abrupt 
fall was more than a thousand feet, lined with sharp crags. 
This fearful precipice rose like a wall of solid rock out 
of the sea, and there was a continual roar of surf at its 
base. There was no way of getting up any higher 
without scaling the slope above, which, as I said before, 
was covered with long grass and oats, that lay upon it 
like the thatch of a house ; and the rain which had fall- 
en during the previous night now made it very smooth. 
I looked at it, I must confess, with something like dismay, 
thinking how we were to climb over such a steep place 
without slipping down over the cliff; when I beheld 
Abraham, of whom I had lost sight for a time, toiling 
upward upon it like a huge bear. His outline against 
the sky reminded me especially of a bear of the grizzly 
species. I saw that he clung to the roots of the grass 
with his hands, and dug his toes into the soft earth to 
keep from sliding back, in case his hold should give way. 
Committing myself to Providence, I started after him by 
a shorter cut, grasping hold of the grass by the roots as 
I went. Every few perches, I stopped to search for a 
strong bunch of grass, for there was nothing else to hold 
on by. Some of it was so loose that it gave way as soon 
as I laid hold of it, and I came near going for want of 
something to balance me. Six inches of a slide would 
have sent me twirling over the cliff into the raging surf 
a thousand feet below. Once, impressed with the terri- 
ble idea that I was slipping, I stopped short, and my 
heart beat till.it shook me all over. It was only by lying- 
flat down and seizing the roots of the grass with both 
hands, while I dug my toes into the sod, that I retained 
my pi'esence of mind. Indeed, at this place, having 
turned to look back, I was so struck with horror at the 



66 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

frail tenure upon which my life depended, that I turned 
partly blind, and a rushing noise whirled through my 
brain at the thought that I should be no longer able to 
retain my grasp. If for one moment I lost my con- 
sciousness and let go my hold of the grass, I would sure- 
ly be lost ; there was no hope ; I must be dashed over 
the precipice, and go spinning through a thousand feet 
of space till I struck the rocks below, or was buried in 
the surf. I lay panting for breath, while every muscle 
quivered as if it would shake loose my grasp. In the 
space of five minutes I thought more of death than I had 
ever thought before. Was this to be my end after all ? 
What would they say on board the ship when I was 
dead ? What would be the distress of my friends and 
kindred at home when they heard how my mangled body 
was picked up in the surf, and buried ujjon this lone- 
ly rock-bound island? A thousand thoughts flashed 
through my brain in succession. Even the happy days 
of my youth rose up before me now, but the vision was 
sadly mingled with errors and follies that could never be 
retrieved. Believing my time had come, I looked up- 
ward in my agony, and beheld Abraham, scarcely twen- 
ty yards in advance, lying down in the same position, 
with hands stretched out and dug into the roots of the 
grass. 

" Abraham," said I, " this is terrible !" 

" Yes," said he, " a foretaste of death, if nothing 
worse." 

" But how in the world are we to get out of it ?" 

" I don't know — there seems to be no hope ; we can't 
go back again, that's an absolute certainty. In my opin- 
ion, we'll have to stay here till somebody comes for us, 
which doesn't seem a likely chance just now." 

A good rest, however", having inspired us with fresh 
courage, we resolved upon pushing on. There was a 
narrow ledge about a hundred yards above us; if we 
could reach that, we would be safe for the present. By 
great exertion we got a little above the place where we 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 67 

had lain down ; and, the sod beginning to give way as 
before, we threw ourselves on our faces again, and rested 
a while. In this way, hanging, as it were, between life 
and death, we at last reached the ledge. Here we flung 
ourselves on the solid rock, quite exhausted. Abraham 
was a brave man, but he now lay gasping for breath, as 
pale as a ghost. I suppose I looked about the same, for, 
to tell the honest truth, I was well-nigh scared out of 
my senses. Certainly all the gold of Ophir could not 
have induced me to go through the same ordeal again. 

There was still above us, about five hundred feet high- 
er, a point or pyramid of volcanic rock, that stood out 
over tire sea in a slanting direction. It was the highest 
peak in the neighborhood of the coast, and was called 
the Nipple. We had done nothing yet compared with 
the ascent of that peak. Both of us looked toward it, 
and smiled. 

" Shall we try it ?" said Abraham. 

" No," said I, " we never could get up there ; it would 
be perfect folly to try." 

" I think not, Luff; it isn't so smooth as the ])lace we 
have just climbed over. Don't you see there are rocks 
to hold on to ?" 

" Yes, but they look as if they'd give way. However, 
if you say so, we'll make the attempt." 

With this, we each drew a long breath, and com- 
menced climbing up the rocks. Sometimes we dug our 
fingers into the crevices and lifted ourselves up, and 
sometimes we wound around ledges less than a foot 
wide, overhanging deep chasms, and were forced to 
cling to the rough points that jutted out in order to keep 
our balance. Flocks of pigeons flew startled from their 
nests, and whirled past us, as if affrighted at the intrusion 
of man. Herds of wild goats dashed by us also, and ran 
bleating down into the rugged defiles, where they looked 
like so many insects. The wind whistled mournfully 
against the sharp crags, and swept against us in such 
fierce and sudden gusts that we were sometimes obliged 



68 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

to stop and cling to the rocks with all our might to keep 
from being blown off. At last we reached the base of 
the Nipple. This was the wildest place of all. Above 
us stood the dizzy peak, like the turret of a ruined castle, 
overlooking the surf at a height of nearly two thousand 
feet. We now lay down again, breathing hard, and a 
good deal exhausted. When partly recovered, I looked 
over the edge toward Crusoe's Valley. It was the 
grandest sight I ever beheld ; rugged cliffs and winding 
ridges hundreds of feet below ; a green valley embow- 
ered in shrubbery nestling beneath the heights, all calm 
and smiling in the warm sunshine ; slopes of woodland 
stretching up in the ravines ; a line of white spray from 
the surf all along the shores, and the boundless ocean 
outspread in one vast sweep beyond. 

" I'll tell you what it is, Luff," said Abraham, " this 
may be all very fine, but I don't want to try it again." 

" Nor I either, Abraham. Isn't it awful climbing ?" 

"Yes, awful enough ; but we must get on the top of 
that old castle there." 

" To be sure," said I, rather doubtfully. " Of course, 
Abraham ; we ought to climb that as a sort of climax. 
It will make an excellent climax either to ourselves or 
the adventure." 

Saying this, I walked a few steps from the place where 
we were lying down, to see if there was any way of scal- 
ing the Nipple. It appeared to be a huge pile of loose 
rocks ready to fall to pieces upon being touched. It 
was about a hundred feet high, and nearly perpendicular 
all round. There was no part that seemed to me at all 
accessible. Even the first part or foundation could not 
be readied without passing over a sharp ridge, steep at 
both sides, and entirely destitute of vegetation. I was 
not quite mad enough to undertake such a thing as this 
without the least hope of success. 

" No, Abraham," said I, " we can't do it. I see no 
way of getting up there." 

" Let me take a look," said Abraham, who was always 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



GO 



fertile in discoveries. "I think I see a place that we 
can climb over, so as to get on that horseback sort of a 
ridge, and the rest of the way may be easier than we 
suppose." 

He then walked a few steps round a ledge of crumbling- 
rock, and I soon saw him climbing up where it seemed 
as if there was no possible way of holding on. I actually 
began to think there was something supernatural in his 
hands and feet ; yet I felt an indescribable dread that he 
would fall at last. For a while I was in perfect agony ; 
each moment I expected to see him roll headlong over 
the cliff. Presently I lost sight of him altogether. I 
thought he had lost his balance, and was dashed to atoms 
below! Seized with horror, I sat down and groaned 
aloud. Again I rose and ran to the edge of the cliff, 
shouting wildly in the faint hope that he was not yet 
lost. There was no answer but the wail of the winds 
and the moaning of the surf. While I looked from the 
depths to the fearful height above, I saw his head rise 




iliitAHAM ON T11K PEAK. 



70 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

slowly and cautiously over the top of the Nipple ; then 
his body, and then, with a wild shout of triumph, he 
stood waving his hat on the summit ! 

There he stood, a man of stalwart frame, now no big- 
ger than a dwarf against the sky ! 

I saw him point toward the horizon, and, looking in 
the direction of his finger, perceived the Anteus about 
twenty miles off under short sail. 

He remained but a few minutes in this perilous posi- 
tion, as I supposed on account of the wind, which was 
now very strong. 

On his return, being unable to get down on the same 
side, he was forced to creep backward over the ridge, 
and lower himself by fixing his hands in the crevices to 
the ledge over the sea, from which he made his way 
round to the starting-point. When he reached the spot 
where I stood, he sat down, breathing hard, and looking 
very pale. 

" Luff," said he, " don't go up there. It shook under 
me like a tree. Every flaw of wind made it sway as if 
it would topple over." 

" Why," said I, " after scaring me out of my wits, it 
isn't exactly fair to deprive me of some satisfaction." 

" Don't do it, Luff; I warn you as a friend ! It ought 
to be satisfaction enough to find me here safe and sound, 
after such a climb as that." 

" No, Abraham, I must do it ; because when we re- 
turn to the ship, don't you see what an advantage you'll 
have over me ?" 

" Only in being the greater fool." 

" Then there must be two fools, to make us even. It 
would hardly be friendly to let you be the only one; so 
here goes, Abraham. In case I tumble over, give my 
love to all at home, and tell them I died like a Trojan." 

All this was folly, to be sure ; but how could I help it ? 
how could I bear the thought of hearing Abraham talk 
about having scaled the Nipple, while I was ingloriouly 
groaning for him down below ? It would mortify me to 
the very soul. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 71 

Following now the same path that Abraham had 
taken, I was soon on top of the first elevation ; for, be- 
ing lighter and more active, though not so strong, I 
had rather the advantage in climbing. Here I wound 
round by a different way, so as to reach the ridge that 
led over the chasm. It was about the width of a horse's 
back, sloping down abruptly on each side. The distance 
was not over twenty feet, which I gained by straddling 
the ridge and working along by my hands. The descent 
on each side was, as before stated, nearly two thousand 
feet. I need not say it was the most terrible ride I ever 
had. Indeed, when I think of it now, it brings up strange 
and thrilling sensations. How I got over the final peak, 
I can hardly tell ; it seems as if I must have been drunk 
with excitement, and reached the summit by one of those 
mysterious chances of fortune which not unfrequently 
favor men whose minds are in a morbid state. 

When I looked down on the waters of the bay, I saw 
the Brooklyn still at anchor. She looked like some big 
insect floating on its back, with its legs in the air and 
little insects running about all over it. I staid up on 
the top of the Nipple only a few minutes. The view on 
every side was sublime beyond all the powers of lan- 
guage ; but a gust of wind coming, the frail pinnacle of 
lava upon which I stood swayed, as Abraham had told 
me ; and, fearing it would tumble over, I hurried down 
the best way I could. 



CHAPTER X. 

RAMBLE INTO THE INTERIOR. 

Finding by the sun that it was yet early in the day, 
we resolved, after resting awhile, to push on as far as w r e 
could go into the interior. The prospect was perfectly 
enchanting. Winding ridges and deep gorges lay be- 
fore us as we looked back from the ocean : and cool 



72 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

glens, shaded with myrtle, and open fields of grass in the 
soft haze below, and springs bubbling over the rocks 
with a pleasant music ; all varied, all rich and tempting. 
Away we darted over the rocks, shouting with glee, so 
irresistible was the feeling of freedom after our dreary 
ship-life, and so inspiring the freshness of the air and the 
wondrous beauty of the scenery. The ridge upon which 
our path lay was barely wide enough for a foothold. It 
was composed of loose stones and crumbling pieces of 
clay. The precipice on the right was nearly perpen- 
dicular; on the left craggy peaks reared their grizzled 
heads from masses of dark green shrubbery, like the tur- 
rets of ancient castles shaken to ruin by the tempests of 
ages. Sometimes we had to get down on our hands and 
knees, and creep over the narrow goat-paths for twenty 
or thirty feet, holding on by the roots and shrubs that 
grew in the crevices of the rocks, and at intervals force 
ourselves through jungles of bushes so closely inter- 
woven that for half an hour we could scarcely gain a 
hundred yards. About three miles back from the sea- 
coast, having labored hard to reach a high point over- 
looking one of the interior valleys, we were stopped by 
an abrupt rampart of rocks. Here we had to look about 
us, and consider a long time how we were to get over it. 
We now began to suffer all the tortures of thirst 
after our perilous adventure on the Nipple, and our sub- 
sequent struggle through the bushes and along the ridge. 
There was no sign of a spring any where near ; the cliffs 
w-jre bleached with the wind, and not so much as a drop 
. of water could be found in any of the hollows that had 
been washed in the rocks by the rain. In this extremity 
we sat down on a bank of moss, ready to die of thirst, 
and began to think we would have to return without 
getting a sight of the valley on the other side of the cliff, 
when I observed a curious plant close by, nearly cover- 
ed with great bowl-shaped leaves. 

" Abraham," said I, " may be there's water there !" 
" May be there is," said Abraham ; " let us look." 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 73 

We jumped up and ran over to where the strange 
plant was. and there we beheld the leaves half full of fine 
clear water ! 

" There ! what do you think of that, Abraham ? Isn't 
it refreshing ? You see it requires a person like me to 
find fresh water on the top of a mountain where there 
are no springs." 

" Yes, yes," quoth Abraham, slowly, " but may be it's 
poison." 

" Sure enough — may be it is ! I didn't think of that," 
said I, very much startled at the idea of drinking poison. 
" Suppose you drink some and try. If it doesn't do you 
any harm, I'll drink some myself in about half an hour." 

" Well, I Avould like a good drink," said Abraham, 
thoughtfully; "there's no denying that. But it always 
goes better when I have a friend to join me. I'll tell 
you what I'll do, Luff". You take one bowl and I'll take 
another, and we'll sit down here and call it whisky 
punch, and both drink at the same time." 

" Very good," said I, " that's a fair bargain. Come 
on, Abraham." 

So Ave cut the stems of tAVo large leaves, containing 
each about a pint of water, and sat down on a rock. 

" Your health," said I, raising my boAvl ; " long life 
and happiness to you, Abraham !" 

" Thank you," said Abraham ; " the same to you !" 

"Why don't you drink?" I asked, seeing that my 
friend kept looking at me without touching the contents > 
of the bowl. 

" I'm going to drink presently." 

"Drink away, then !" 

" Here goes !" 

But it Avas not " here goes," for he still kept looking 
at me Avithout drinking. 

" Well," said I, impatiently, " what are you afraid of?" 

" I'm not afraid," cried Abraham, " but I don't see you 
drinking." 

" Nonsense, man ! I'm Avaiting for you !" 
D 



74 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



" Go ahead, then." 
" Go ahead." 

Here there was a long pause, and we watched each 
other with great attention. At last, entirely out of pa- 
tience, I lowered my bowl and said, 

" Abraham, do you want me to poison myself?" 
"No, I don't," said Abraham ; "I'd be very sorry for it." 
" Then why did you propose that we should drink this 
poison together ? for I verily believe it must be poison, 
or it wouldn't look so tempting." 

" Because you wanted me to drink it first." 
" Did I ? Give me your hand, Abraham ; I forgot 
that." Whereupon we shook hands, and agreed to con- 
sider it not whisky punch, but poison, and drink none 
at all. 

Our thirst increasing to a painful degree, we were 
about to retrace our steps, when I observed a little bird 
perch himself upon the edge of a leaf not far off, and 




Till; TROGON. 



CKUSOE'S ISLAND. 75 

commence drinking from the hollow. I told Abraham 
to look. 

" Sure enough," said he, " birds don't di-ink whisky 
punch." 

" No," said I, " God Almighty never made a bird or a 
four-legged beast yet that would naturally drink punch 
or any other kind of poison. It must be water, and 
good water too, for birds have more sense than men 
about what they drink. So here goes, whether you join 
or not." 

" And here goes too !" cried Abraham ; and we both, 
without hesitating any longer, emptied our bowls to the 
bottom ; and so pure and delicious was the water that 
we emptied half a dozen leavesful more, and never felt 
a bit afraid that it would hurt us ; for we knew then 
that God had made these cups of living green, and filled 
them with water fresh from the heavens for the good of 
His creatures. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE VALLEY OF ENCHANTMENT. 

Thus refreshed, we set to work boldly, and, by dint 
of hard climbing, reached the top of the cliff*. It was the 
highest point on the island next to the Peak of Yonka. 
We looked over the edge and down into a lovely valley 
covered with grass. Wooded ravines sloped into it on 
every side, and streams wound through it hedged with 
bushes, and all around us the air was filled with a sweet 
scent of wild flowers. In that secluded valley, so sel- 
dom trodden by the foot of man, we saw how much of 
beauty lay yet unrevealed upon earth ; and our souls 
were filled with an abiding happiness : for time might 
dim the mortal eye ; the freshness of youth might pass 
away ; all the bright promises of life might leave us in 
the future ; but there was a resting-place there for the 



76 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 




memory ; an impression, made by the Divine hand with- 
in, that could never fade ; a glimpse in our earthly pil- 
grimage of that promised land where there is harmony 
without end — beauty without blemish — joy beyond all 
that man hath conceived. 

Nothing was here of that stern and inhospitable char- 
acter that marked the rock-bound shores of the island. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 77 

A soft haze hung over the valley ; a happy quiet reigned 
in the perfumed air ; the breath of heaven touched gen- 
tly the flowers that bloomed upon the sod ; all was fresh 
and fair, and full of romantic beauty. Yet there was life 
in the repose ; abundance within the maze of heights 
that encircled the dreamy solitude. Fields of wild oats 
waved with changing colors on the hill-sides ; green 
meadows swept around the bases of the mountains ; rich 
and fragrant shrubs bloomed wherever we looked ; fair 
flowers and running vines hung over the brows of the 
rocks, crowning them as with a garland ; and springs 
burst out from the cool earth and fell in white mist down 
into the groves of myrtle below, and were lost in the 
shade. Nowhere was there a trace of man's intrusion. 
Wild horses, snuffing the air, dashed out into the valley 
in all the joyousness of their freedom, flinging back their 
manes and tossing their heads proudly ; and when they 
beheld us, they started suddenly, and fled up the mount- 
ains beyond. Herds of goats ran along the rugged de- 
clivities below us, looking scarcely bigger than rabbits ; 
and birds of bright and beautiful plumage flew close 
around our heads, and lit upon the trees. It was a fan- 
scene, untouched by profaning hands ; fair and solitary, 
and lovely in its solitude as the happy valley of Rasselas. 



CHAPTER XII. 

A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 

While I was trying to make a sketch of this Valley 
of Enchantment, as Ave called it, Abraham was peering 
over the cliff, and looking about in every direction in 
search of some ruin or relic of habitation. He was not 
naturally of a romantic turn, but he had a keen eye for 
every thing strange and out of the way, and an insatiable 
thirst for the discovery of natural curiosities. Already 
his pockets were full of roots and pieces of rock ; and it 



78 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

was only by the utmost persuasion that I could prevent 
him from carrying a lump of lava that must have weigh- 
ed twenty pounds. Without any cause, so far as I could 
see, he began stamping upon the ground, and then, pick- 
ing up a big stone, he rolled it over the edge of the cliff, 
and eagerly peeped after it, holding both hands to his 
ears as if to listen. 

" What's that, Abraham ?" said I ; " you are certainly 
losing your wits." 

" I knew it ! I knew it !" he cried, greatly excited ; 
" it's perfectly hollow. There's a natural castle iu it !" 

" Where ? in your head ?" 

" No, in the cliff here ; it's all hollow — a regular old 
castle ! Come on ! come on, Luff! We're bound to ex- 
plore it. May be we'll rake up something worth seeing 
yet !" Saying which, he bounded down a narrow ledge 
on the left, and I, as a matter of course, followed. Our 
path was not the most secure, winding as it did over an 
abyss some hundreds of feet in a direct fall ; but our 
previous experience enabled us to spring over the rocks 
with wonderful agility, and work our way down the 
more difficult passes in a manner that would have done 
credit to animals with four legs. Portions of the earth 
formed a kind of narrow stairway, so distinct and regu- 
lar that we almost thought it must be of artificial con- 
struction. In about ten minutes we reached a broad 
ledge underneath the brow of the cliff. Turning our 
backs to the precipice, we saw a spacious cavity in the 
rocks, shaped a good deal like an immense Gothic door- 
way, all overhung with vines and wild fern. 

"I knew it!" cried Abraham, enthusiastically. "A 
regular old castle, by all that's wonderful! Crusoe's 
cave is nothing to it! Just see what a splendid en- 
trance ; what ancient tuiTets ; what glorious old walls 
of solid rock!" 

" Verily, it does look like a castle," said I. " We must 
call it the Castle of Abraham, in honor of the discov- 
erer." 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 79 

" Yes, but it strikes me there may be another discov- 
erer already. Look at these marks on the rock !" 

" True enough ; goats never make marks like these !" 
Near the mouth or entrance of the grotto, traced in 
black lines, evidently with a burnt stick, we saw a num- 
ber of curious designs, so defaced by the dripping of wa- 
ter from above that we were unable for some time to 
make out that they had any meaning. At length, by 
carefully following the darkest parts, we got some clew 
to the principal objects intended to be represented, which 
were very clumsily drawn, as if by an unskillful hand. 
There was a figure of a man, lying upon a horizontal line, 
with his face turned upward ; the limbs were twisted 
and broken, and the expression of the features was that 
of extreme agony ; the eyes were closed, the back of the 
head crushed in, the mouth partly open, and the tongue 
hanging out. One hand grasped a jagged rock, the 
other a knife with a part of the blade broken off. Close 
by, with its head upon his feet, was the skeleton of a 
strange animal, so rudely sketched that we could hardly 
tell whether it was intended for a goat or not. It had 
the horns of a goat, but the eyes, turning upward in their 
sockets, looked like those of a child that had died some 
horrible death. Waving lines were drawn some dis- 
tance off, as representing the sea in a storm ; a large ship 
under sail was standing off in the foam from a j>ile of 
rocks that rose out of the sea like a desolate island. 
The body of a man could be seen under the waves, 
struggling toward the ship ; a shark was tearing the 
flesh from his legs, and the hands were thrown up wild- 
ly over the water. Underneath the whole were several 
rude sketches of human hearts, pierced through with 
knives. A hand pointed upward at the figure first de- 
scribed. It had a ring on the foi-efinger ; the tendons 
of the wrist hung down, as if wrenched from the arm by 
some instrument of torture. Around these strange de- 
signs were numerous others, representing the heads of 
eagles ; a famished wolf, gnawing its own flesh ; and the 



SO CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

corpses of two children, strangled with a rope ; besides 
other rude sketches of which we could make nothing ; 
and, indeed, some of these already mentioned were so in- 
distinct, that Ave were forced to depend a good deal on 
conjecture in order to come to any conclusion in regard 
to what they were intended to represent ; so that I have 
given but a vague idea, at best, of the whole thing. 

"There's something strange about this," said Abra- 
ham, trembling all over ; " something more than we may 
like to see. Let us go into the cave, and try if we can 
solve the mystery." 

" I don't think there's much mystery about it," said I ; 
" evidently some sailor who ran away from a ship has 
occupied this as a hiding-place ; these strange designs 
he has doubtless made in some idle hour, to represent 
scenes in his own life. The fellow had a bad conscience 
— he has left the mark of it here." 

" He may have left more than that," said Abraham, 
seriously; "he may have fallen from one of these rocks, 
and lain here for days, helpless and dying: in the agonies 
of thirst, driven delirious by fever, he tried, perhaps, to 
tell by these signs how he died. If I'm not mistaken, 
we'll find some farther clew to this affair Avithin there. 
Let us see, at all events." 

We then went into the cave, and looked around us as 
far as the light reached. It was very lofty and spacious, 
and made a short turn at tfe* back part, so that all be- 
yond was quite wrapt in darkness. Weeds hung in 
crevices of the dank walls of rock ; a few footprints of 
animals were marked in the ground, some slimy tracks 
were made over the rocks by snails, and these, together 
with a dull sound of the flapping of wings made by a 
number of bats that hung overhead, had a very gloomy 
effect. However, seeing nothing else in the front part 
of the cave, we groped our way back into the dark pas- 
sage at the end, and followed it up till Ave reached a sort 
of natural stainvay leading into an upper chamber. For 
some time we hesitated about going up here, thinking 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 81 

there might be a hole or break in the rocks through 
which by mischance we might fall, and be cast down 
into some vault or fissure underneath. After a while our 
eyes got a little used to the darkness, and we thought 
we could discern the chamber a few steps above into 
which this stairway led ; so we crept up cautiously, feel- 
ing our way as we went, and as soon as we found that 
the ground was level Ave stood upon our feet, and per- 
ceived, from the height above lis, and the vacancy all 
around, that we were in a spacious apartment of the cav- 
ern. There still being some danger of falling through, 
as we discerned by the hollow sound made by our feet, 
we only went a short distance beyond the entrance, 
when we stopped still on account of the darkness, which 
was now quite inrpenetrable. 

"A queer place!" said Abraham; "very like one of 
the piratical retreats you read about in novels." 

" Very, indeed, and quite as unlike reality," said I ; 
" it doesn't seem to be inhabited by pirates now, though, 
or any thing else except bats. I wish we had a torch, 
Abraham, for I vow I can't see an inch before me." 

" That's not a bad idea," said Abraham ; " I think I 
have a match in my pocket, but it won't do to run the 
risk of missing fire here. Wait a bit, Luff; I'll go back 
to the mouth of the cave, and rake up somejbrush-wood. 
We'll have some light on the subject presently — if the 
match don't miss fire." 

Abraham then crept back the way we came, as I sup- 
posed, for I could see nothing in any direction, and only 
heard a dull echo around the walls of rock, growing 
fainter and fainter, till all I was sensible of was the flit- 
ting of some bats by my head, and the breath passing 
through my nostrils. To tell the honest truth, I felt 
some very queer sensations steal over me upon finding 
myself all alone in this dark hole, unable to see so much 
as my hand within an inch of my eyes, and not knowing 
but the first thing I felt might be a snake or tarentula 
creeping up my leo;s, or the bite of some monstrous bat. 
D2 



82 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

I waited with great impatience, without daring to move, 
lest I should miss the way back and fall through the 
earth ; for in the confusion of my thoughts I had lost 
all knowledge of the direction of the entrance, and this 
very thing, perhaps, caused me to magnify the time as it 
elapsed. It seemed to me that Abraham would never 
return, he staid away so long, and this brought up some 
strange and startling thoughts. Suppose, in his search 
for the brush-wood, he had slipped off the ledge in front 
of the cave ? Suppose he had lost his footing in the 
dark passage on the way out, and fallen into some un- 
fathomable depth below ? Suppose a gang of wild dogs, 
driven to desperation by hunger, had seized him, and 
were now, with all their wolfish instincts, tearing him to 
pieces ? The more I thought, the more vague and ter- 
rible became my conjectures ; till, no longer able to en- 
dure the torture of suspense, I shouted his name with 
all my might. There was no answer but the startling 
echoes of my own voice, which seemed to mock me in a 
thousand different directions. I shouted again, and again 
there was the same fearful reverberation of voices, grow- 
ing fainter and fainter till they seemed to die upon the 
air, like the passing away of hope. I now began to peer 
through the darkness in all directions, with the inten- 
tion of retracing my steps should I discover any indi- 
cation of the entrance by which to direct my course. 
At first it appeared as if the darkness was of the same 
density all round, but gradually, as I strained my eyes, I 
thought I perceived a faint glimmer of light, and thither 
I cautiously made my way, groping about with my hands 
as I advanced. 

In a few moments I felt, by a rush of air, that I was near 
an opening, and the light growing stronger at the same 
time, I soon perceived that it led downward in a slant- 
ing direction, in the same way as the passage through 
which we had come up. I was now satisfied that there 
would be no farther difficulty in getting out, and having 
no cause to imagine that the place had changed, began 



CKUSOE'S ISLAND. 83 

to descend as rapidly as possible. All of a sudden my 
feet slipped from under me, and I went flying down a 
sort of chute, without any power to stop myself, and so 
terrible was the sensation that I was perfectly speech- 
less, though conscious all the time. It was not long, 
however, this suspense, for I struck bottom almost at. 
the next moment, and went rolling over headlong into 
an open space. As soon as I looked around me, I per- 
ceived a cleft in the rocks, some fifteen feet above, 
through which there was a dim ray of light, and this, as 
I took it, was what had misled me. My sight being 
rather confused, I now began to grope around me, in 
order to ascertain if there were any more holes near by, 
when I discovered that there was straw scattered about 
over the ground. Instinctively I thought about the 
strange marks on the rocks near the mouth of the cave. 
Now if there should be a dead body here, or a skeleton ! 
What a companion in this lonely dungeon ! A cold 
tremor ran through me, and I actually thought that, 
should I accidentally touch the clammy flesh of a corpse 
in such a place, it would drive me mad. For a while I 
scarcely dared to look around, but the absolute necessity 
of finding some place of exit at last overcame my appre- 
hensions. The light from above was quite faint, as be- 
fore stated, but yet sufficient, upon getting used to it, to 
enable me to perceive that I was in a sort of chamber 
about fifteen feet in diameter, closed on every side ex- 
cept where I had so unexpectedly entered ; and I was 
greatly relieved to find that there was nothing on the 
ground but a thin layer of straw scattered about here 
and there, and a few pieces of wood partly burned. I lost 
no time in making my way into the chute again, which 
I found but little difficulty in ascending, for it was not 
so steep as I had supposed. Upon regaining the large 
apartment from which I had wandered, I heard the muf- 
fled echoes of a voice coming, as I thought, from the 
depths below. They soon grew louder, and I noticed a 
reddish light faintly shining upon the dark masses of 



84 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

rock. Could it be Abraham ? Surely it must be, for I 
now heard my name distinctly called. 

"Halloo there, Luff! Where are you, Luff? Why 
don't you come on ?" 

" I'm coming," said I, making a rapid rush toward the 
light, " as fast as I can." 

" All right !" said Abraham ; " come on quick !" 

It was not long, as may be sujjposed, before -I was 
scrambling down the rough stairway of rocks by which 
we had originally entered the mysterious chamber ; and 
the next moment I was standing before Abraham in the 
passage, which was now no longer dark, for it was lit up 
with a tremendous torch of brush-wood, which he held 
in both hands. 

"Why, where in the name of sense have you been?" 
cried he, rather excited, as I thought ; " what have you 
been doing all this time ?" 

"Doing ?" said I ; " only exploring the cave, Abraham 
— hunting up curiosities for pastime." 

" Nonsense ! I've been calling at you for ten minutes. 
I didn't want to leave the torch, or I'd have gone up 
after you ; for I couldn't hold it and use my hands at the 
same time, and I thought if it went out we couldn't light 
it up again. Besides, I've found a treasure — a treasure, 
Luff, beyond all price." 

" What is it, Abraham — a lump of gold ?" 

" Pooh ! gold couldn't buy it ! A skull, sir — a human 
skull ! That's what I've found !" 

" Only a skull ? I came near finding the whole body," 
said I, involuntarily slmddering as I thought of the 
gloomy chamber with the straw in it ; " I'm quite cer- 
tain I'd have found the entire corpse if it had been 
there." 

"But this is a real skull, Luff. It's no subject for tri- 
fling. Some poor fellow has left his bones here, as I 
suspected." 

We then went out to the front of the cave. Not far 
from the entrance was a hole somewhat larger than a 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 85 

man's body, which I had not noticed before, and into 
which Abraham now crept with the torch, telling me to 
follow. It was not long before we entered a cell or 
chamber large enough to stand up in, the floor of which 
was littered with straw. 

" I found it here, Luff; here in this straw — the upper 
part of a man's skull. Look at it." 

Here Abraham removed some of the straw, and there, 
indeed, lay the frontal part of a skull. 

"I found it just as it lies. I put it back exactly in 




IDE SKULL. 



the same position. I w r anted you to see how the man 
died — poor fellow ! a sad death he had of it all alone 
here." 

Upon this I took up the skull and examined it. The 
forehead was small and low, and the whole formation of 
the upper part of the face somewhat singular. There 
was not sufficient of the lower part left to tell precisely 
whether it was the skull of a white man or of a negro. 
I thought it must be that of a negro, from the size of 
the animal organs. Abraham, however, considered it 
the skull of a white man, on account of the whiteness of 
the bone. 

The torch being now burned out, we bethought our- 
selves of starting toward the valley of the huts, for avc 
had no time to indulge in melancholy reflection on what 



86 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

remained of the poor sailor, or follow up the train of 
thought suggested by his unhappy fate. Abraham care- 
fully wrapped the skull in his handkerchief, and put it in 
a large pocket that he had in his coat, declaring, as we 
set out on our return to the top of the cliff, that a thou- 
sand dollars would not induce him to part with so rare 
and valuable a curiosity. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE STORM AjSTD ESCAPE. 



When we reached the summit of the cliff, and looked 
over once more into the enchanted valley, we could hard- 
ly believe that such a change as we beheld could have 
taken place during our absence. That scene of beauty 
upon which we had lingered with so much pleasure now 
seemed to be a moving ocean of clouds, ingulfing ev- 
ery visible point in its billows of mist, raging and foam- 
ing as it swelled up over the heights ; the wild roar of 
the tempest vibrating fiercely through the air — the very 
rocks upon which we stood trembling in the dread com- 
ing" of its wrath. While we gazed in silence upon 
the wilderness of surging billows, the whole island be- 
came hidden in mist ; and that happy valley, so lovely 
in its solitude but a brief hour before, so calm in its slum- 
bering beauty, so softly steeped in sunshine, was now 
buried in the fierce conflict of the elements. Nothing- 
was to be seen but an ocean of misty surf below, and a 
wilderness of dark clouds flying madly overhead. It 
seemed as if we had been suddenly cut off from the 
world, and left floating on a huge mass of burned rock, 
in a chaos of convulsed elements. On every side the 
impenetrable mists covered the depths, and it needed 
but a single step to open to us the mysteries of eternity. 

The storm set in upon us in fierce and sudden gusts, 
driving us down for safety upon the lee of the rock. N"o 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 87 

longer able to stand upright, we cowered beneath the 
shelter which we found there, and so bided our time. 
From all we could judge, there was no appearance of a 
change for the better. As soon as there was a lull, we 
hurried on along the ridge, in the hope of reaching the 
valley of the huts before dark, for we had eaten nothing 
since morning, and were not prepared to spend the night 
in these wild mountains. After infinite climbing and 
toil, we came to a part of the path where there were 
neither trees nor bushes. It was about half a mile in 
length, and was exposed to the full fury of the gale. 
About midway we were attacked by a terrific gust of 
wind and deluge of rain, and it was with great difficulty 
we could retain our foothold. The rain swashed against 
us with resistless power, driving us down upon our 
hands and knees in its fury, while it surged and foamed 
over us like a white sea in a typhoon. Blinded and 
dizzy, we rose again and rushed on, staggering in the 
fierce bursts of the tempest, and gasping for breath in 
the deluge of spray. How we lived through it I know 
not ; how it was that we were not cast over into the 
abyss that threatened to devour us, there is but One who 
knows, for no eye but His was upon us. Breathless, and 
blinded with the scourging waters, we staggered against 
a large rock. Here we fell upon our knees, no longer 
able to contend against the tempest, and clung to the 
bushes that grew in its clefts, while we silently appealed 
to Him who holds the winds in the hollow of His hands 
to take pity upon us, and cast us not away in His wrath. 
The worst part of the path being yet before us, where 
we had previously found it difficult to get over in good 
weather, we determined upon trying the steep descent 
on the right, leading directly into the valley of the huts. 
It was almost a perfect precipice, and was bare and 
smooth for three hundred yards, where it ran out into a 
kind o£ ledge, covered with a stunted growth of trees. 
If we could reach the grove we would be safe ; but be- 
tween us lay a steep and precipitous field of loose earth, 



88 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

smoothed into a bank of mud by the rains. As we had 
no alternative, we began the descent as cautiously as 
possible, thrusting our toes and fingers into the clay, and 
letting ourselves down by degrees for fifty or a hundred 
feet at a time, when we stopped a while to look below 
us. Such was the roar of the storm that I hardly knew 
whether Abraham was by me or not, when, hearing a 
loud shout, I looked round and beheld him flying down 
the precipice with the velocity of lightning. "Oh! he'll 
be killed !" I exclaimed ; " he'll be killed ! Oh ! what a 
dreadful death !" At the same moment I felt my hold 
give way, and I dashed after him in spite of myself, 
grasping madly at the loose earth, and shouting wildly 
for somebody to stop me. It was a fearful chase — a 
chase of life or death ! On we sped, upheaving the loose 
masses of sod, and whizzing through the tempest as we 
flew ; grasping desperately at every rock, tearing up the 
shrubs that grew in the clefts, and dashing blindly over 
gaping fissures that lay hidden with the grass. Great 
masses of burned rock went smoking down into the 
chaos of mist below, crashing and thundering as they 
fell. On, and still on, in our wild career we sped, with 
the vision of death flitting grimly before us ! Atoms 
we were in the strife of elements, whirled powerless into 
the dark abyss. There was a confused crash of bushes ; 
a stunning sensation — a sudden check — a jarring of the 
brain — and all was still ! I looked, and saw that I was 
safe. The grove was around me. Consciousness re- 
turned as I clung panting to the trees ; life was given yet; 
the vision of death fled in the mists of the tempest.* 

* It has already been mentioned that in many parts of the island 
the soil was loose, and undermined by holes, and the rock weathered 
almost to rottenness. Pursuing a goat once in one of these danger- 
ous places, the bushy brink of a precipice to which he had followed it 
crumbled beneath him, and he and the goat fell together from a great 
height. He lay stunned and senseless at the foot of the rock for a 
great while — not less than twenty hours, he thought, from the change 
of position in the sun, but the precise length of time he had no means 
of ascertaining. When he recovered his senses he found the goat ly- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 89 

For a moment, dizzy and confused, I clung to a tree, 
and offered up my inward thanks to that Providence 
which had spared me through the fearful ordeal. Then, 
hearing the voice of Abraham near by to where I stood, 
I looked, and saw him seated upon the ground, wailing 
aloud as if in extreme bodily pain. Selfish wretch that 
I was, had I, in my thankfulness for my own safety, for- 
gotten the friend of my heart ! Letting go my grasp of 
the tree, I ran to his side, and asked in choking accents, 

"Abraham! oh, Abraham, are you hurt? Tell me 
quick — tell me, are you hurt ?" 

"My skull ! my skull !" groaned Abraham, in rending 
tones ; " oh ! Luff, my skull is broken !" 

" Good heavens !" I exclaimed, " what are we to do ? 
This is terrible ! Wretch that I am, I thought only of 
myself!" 

Abraham groaned again. His face was livid, and a 
small streak of blood that coursed down his right cheek 
told how truly he had spoken. 

" Abraham, my friend Abraham !" I exclaimed, in a 
perfect agony of distress, " perhaps it's not so bad. It 
may not be broken." 

"Yes it is," said Abraham ; " I heard it crack when I 
fell. My feet flew up, and I fell on my back. It must 
have struck a rock." 

" Oh, Abraham, what are we to do ? I wouldn't have 
had this to happen for the whole island. Here, I'll tear 
my shirt off and tie it up." 

" No, no, Luff, it can't be mended ; it's broken all to 
smash. I wouldn't have had it happen for a thousand 
dollars. It can never, never be mended !" 

" Leffiie see," said I, carefully laying back his hair ; 
" something must be done, Abraham." 

ing dead beside him. With great pain and difficulty he made his 
way to his hut, which was nearly a mile distant from the spot; ami 
for three days he lay on his bed enduring much suffering. No per- 
manent injury, however, had been done him, and he was soon able to 
go abroad again. — [Life of Alexander Selkirk.] 



go CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

" No, no — nothings can be done ; the trouble's not 
there, Luff; it's here — here, in my pocket!" At the 
same time, while I started back in a perfect maze of con- 
fusion, Abraham thrust his hand into his coat pocket, 
and brought forth a whole handful of thin flat bones, 
fbroken into small pieces, which he held out with a rue- 
ful face, groaning again as he looked at them. 

" No, no, it can't be mended, Luff." 

" The devil !" said I, angrily, " you may thank your 
stars it isn't any worse than that !" 

" Worse ! worse !" cried Abraham, highly excited ; 
" what do you mean ? In the name of common sense, 
isn't that bad enough ? How could it be any worse ?" 

" Pshaw ! Abraham ; I thought, when I heard your 
lamentations, and saw that scratch of a bush on your 
face, that your own natural cranium was fractured." 

" Well, what if you did ?" cried Abraham, still irri- 
tated. " Would you call that worse ? A live skull will 
grow together, but a dead one won't. And this — this, 
with such a history to it — to lose this, after all my 
trouble in finding it — oh, Luff, Luff", it's too bad !" 

However, having no farther time to spare over his 
ruined skull, he put back the bones in his pocket, and, 
with a heavy sigh, joined me as I sprang down through 
the grove. 

The rest of our descent was comparatively easy. 
When we got down to the head of the valley, a muddy 
stream broke wildly over the rocks, carrying down with 
it the branches and leaves of trees, and roaring fearfully 
as it rushed on toward the ocean. We followed this in 
its rapid descent, and were soon with our friea^ at the 
boat-landing. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 91 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE AMERICAN CRUSOE. 

The third night closed, leaving us still upon the island. 
Who could tell if the vessel would be in sight by morn- 
ing? Should the gale continue, it was not improbable 
that she would be driven far to the leeward, and per- 
haps compelled to give up the search for us entirely. 
Ships had not unfrequently been in sight of the island 
for weeks, as we afterward learned, and yet unable to 
make an anchorage, in consequence of baffling winds and 
heavy gales. It might turn out to be no joke, after all, 
this wild exhibition. To be Crusoes by inclination was 
one thing, by compulsion another. 

We were determined not to spend another night in 
the cave ; that was out of the question. There was not 
one of us who wanted to enjoy the romance of that place 
again. No better alternative remained for us than to 
make a bargain with Pearce, the American, for quarters 
in his straw cabin. This we were the more content to 
do upon seeing him emerge from the bushes with a dead 
kid hanging over his shoulders, which we naturally sup- 
posed he intended for supper. 

At first he spoke rather gruffly for a fellow-country- 
man ; but this we attributed to his wild manner of life, 
separated from all society ; nor were we at all disposed 
to quarrel with him on account of his uncouth address, 
when we came to consider that a man might understand 
but little of politeness, and^yet be a very good sort of 
fellow, and understand very well how to cook a kid. 
We had no money, which we honestly told him in the 
beginning ; but we promised him, in lieu thereof, a large 
supply of ham and bread from the ship. This did not 
seem to improve the matter at all ; indeed, we began to 
think he was loth to credit us, which, however, was not 



92 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 




- 



THE AMERICAN CRUSOE. 



the case. He said the Californians who had been there 
had eaten up nearly all his stores, and had paid him little 
or nothing. They had promised him a good deal, but 
promises were the principal amount of what he got. If 
this Avas all, he wouldn't mind it; they were welcome to 
what he had ; but he didn't like folks to come and take 
possession of his honse as a matter of right, and get 
drunk in it, and raise Old Scratch with his furniture, 
and then swear at him next morning for not keepin' a 
better tavern. He didn't pretend to keep a tavern ; it 
was his own private house, and he Avanted it to be pri- 
vate — that's what he came here for. He had society 
enough at home, and a darn'd sight too much of it. He 
liked to choose his own company. He was an independ- 
ent character himself, and meant to be independent in 
spite of all the Californians on this side of creation. All 
he wished was that old Nick had a hold of California 
and all the gold in it — if there was any in it, which he 
didn't much believe himself. He hoped it would be sunk 
tolerably deep under the sea before some of 'em got 
there. It was a tolerable hard case, that a man couldn't 
live alone without a parcel of fellers, that hadn't any 
thing to do at home, comin' all the way to Juan Fer- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 93 

nandez to play Scratch with his house and furniture, and 
turn every thing upside down,, as if it belonged to 'em, 
and cuss the hair off'n his head for not makin' a bigger 
house, and keepin' a bar full of good liquor, and a bil- 
liard saloon, and bowlin'-alley for the accommodation of 
travelers — a tolerable hard case. He'd be squarrned ef 
he was a goin' to stand it any longer. 

We agreed with Crusoe that this was indeed rather a 
hard case, but promised him that he would find us al- 
together different sort of persons. We were first-class 
passengers — none of your rowdy third-class ; he under- 
stood all that ; they were all first-class passengers ashore ; 
he wouldn't believe one of 'em on oath. Again we en- 
deavored to compromise the matter, so far as regarded 
the ham at least, of which he was entirely incredulous, 
by telling him that he might come on board with us, and 
then when we'd be sure not to run away without paying 
him. 

"But what if you should carry me away?" said he, 
evidently startled by this proposition. 

"Nothing — only we'd take you to California. That 
would be a lucky chance for you." 

" No, it wouldn't. I don't want to go there. I'm 
very well here." 

" But there's plenty of gold in California," said we ; 
" no doubt about it at all. You may live here all your 
life, and be no better off." 

" I'm well enough off," retorted Crusoe ; " I only 
want people to let me alone. Ever since this California 
business they've been troublin' me." 

" You surely can't be happy here without a soul near 
you ! Why, it's enough to drive a man mad. It must 
be dreadfully dull. You can't be happy !" 

"Yes I am!" said Crusoe, peevishly; "I'm always 
happy when I ain't troubled. When I'm troubled I'm 
mis'rable. Nothin' makes me so mis'rable as bein' 
troubled." 

"It makes a good many people miserable," was our 



94 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

reply. " We must trouble you for a night's lodging, at 
all events, for we have no place else to stay." 

" I don't want you to stay nowhere else !" cried Cru- 
soe ; " that wasn't what I meant : you mustn't get drunk 
— that's what I meant." 

" No, we Avon't get drunk ; we haven't any thing to 
get drunk on, unless you insist upon giving us some- 
thing." 

" Very well, then ; you can sleep in my cabin, ef you 
don't tear it down. Some fellers have tried to tear it 
down." 

We promised him that we would use every exertion 
to overcome any propensity we might have in regard to 
tearing his house down ; and, although he still shook his 
head mournfully, as if he had no farther confidence in 
man, he led the way toward his hut, hinting in a sort of 
undergrowl that it would be greatly to our advantage 
not to get drunk, or attempt to destroy his house and 
furniture, inasmuch as he had a number of goatskins, 
which he wouldn't mind letting sober people have to 
sleep on, but he'd be squarmed ef he'd lend 'em to people 
that cuss'd him for not keepin' feather beds. We de- 
clared upon our words, as gentlemen, that we had no 
idea whatever of sleeping on feather beds in such a re- 
mote part of the world as this, and would be most hap- 
py to prove to him that we were worthy of sleeping on 
goatskins ; that we would regard goatskins in the light 
of a favor, whereas if he put us upon feather beds, we 
should feel disposed to look upon it rather as a reflection 
upon our character as disciples of the immortal Crusoe. 

Abraham and myself were wet to the skin after our 
adventure in the mountains, and, having been five or six 
hours in that condition, we were hungry enough to eat 
any thing. We therefore left the party down on the 
beach, where they were trying to Set fire to an old pitch- 
barrel as a signal for the ship, and, under the guidance 
of Pearce, hurried up to the cabin. Upon entering the 
low doorway, we found that there was some promise of 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 95 

good cheer. There was a basket of fish in one corner, 
and sundry pieces of dried meat hanging upon the walls. 
Our friend set to work to skin the kid ; and we, finding 
a sort of stone fireplace in the middle of the floor, with 
a few live embers in it, sat down, and began putting on 
some wood out of a neighboring pile, by which means 
we soon had a comfortable fire. As soon as the steam 
was pretty well out of our clothes, and the warmth 
struck through, to our skins, we felt an uncommonly 
pleasant glow all over us ; and the blaze was exceeding- 
ly cheerful. In fact, we were quite happy, in spite of 
the gloomy forebodings of Pearce, who kept saying to 
himself all the time he was skinning the kid, " I expect 
nothin' else but what they'll burn my house down. Ef 
they'd only let a feller alone, and not come troublin' him, 
I'd like it a good deal better than bread or ham either 
— 'specially when it's aboard a ship that ain't here, and 
never will be, I reckon. Fun's fun ; but I'll be squarmed 
ef I want to see my house burned down over my head. 
"Tain't nothin' to larf at. When I want somethin' to 
larf at, I kin raise it myself without troublin' other folks. 
Ef a man can't live to himself here, I'd like to know 
where in creation he kin live. I expect they'll be ex- 
plorin' the bottom of the sea by'm-by in search of gold ; 
I'd go there to be to myself, ef I thought I could be to 
myself; but I know they'd be arter me in less than a 
month. Ef I was a bettin' character, I'd be willin' to 
bet five dollars they'll set fire to the house, and burn it 
down afore they stop !" 

Meantime Brigham and the rest of the party succeed- 
ed at length in making a large fire on the beach as a sig- 
nal for the ship, and they remained down there some 
time in hopes she would send a boat ashore. But the 
gale increasing, accompanied by heavy rain, they had to 
leave the fire, and make a hasty retreat to the hut. 



96 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



CHAPTER XV. 

CASTLE OF THE AMERICAN CRUSOE. 

Pearce's gloomy views of society began to brighten 
a good deal when he found that we were not disposed 
to tear down his house or burn it, or wantonly ruin his 
furniture. He was not a bad-hearted man by any means, 
though rather crusty from having lived too long alone, 
and somewhat prejudiced against the Californians on ac- 
count of the rough treatment he had received from them. 
A little flattery regarding his skill in architecture, and a 
word of praise on the subject of his furniture, seemed to 
mollify him a good deal ; and he smiled grimly once or 
twice at our folly in coming ashore, when we could have 
done so much better, as he alleged, by staying aboard 
the ship, and going ahead about our business. 

Regarding the house, which afforded him so much 
anxiety, there did not appear to us to be any thing quite 
so original and Crusoe-like in any other part of the world. 
It Avas a little straw hut, just big enough to creep into 
and turn round in ; with a steep peaked roof, projecting 
all round, very rustic and rugged-looking, and, withal, 
veiy well adapted to the climate. The straw was woven 
through upright stakes, and made a tolerably secure 
wall ; outside, growing up around the house in every di- 
rection, were running vines and wild flowers ; and at a 
little distance were various smaller sheds and out-houses, 
in which our worthy host kept his domestic animals, and 
what wood he required during the bad weather. The 
furniture of his main abode, which was such a source of 
honest pride to him, consisted chiefly of a few three-leg- 
ged stools, made of the rough wood with the bark still 
on ; a kind of bench for a lounge ; a rough bedstead in 
one corner, partly shut off by a straw partition ; a bro- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 97 

ken looking-glass, and an iron kettle and frying-pan, be- 
sides sundry strange articles of domestic economy of 
which we could form no correct idea, inasmuch as they 
were made upon novel principles of his own, and were 
entirely beyond/ our comprehension. Over head, the 
rafters were covered with goatskins ; a sailor's pea- 
jacket, a sou'wester, and some colored shirts hung at 
the head of the bed. In one corner thei - e was a rude 
wooden cupboard, containing a few broken cups and 
plates, and a Chinese tea-box ; in another a sea-chest, 
which, when pulled out, served for a table. The floor 
Avas of mud, and not very dry after the rain ; for the 
roof had sprung a leak, and, moreover, what water was 
cast off from above eventually found its way in under 
the walls below. Doubtless, like the man with the fid- 
dle, our host thought it useless to mend it when the 
weather Avas fine, and too wet to work at it when the 
weather was rainy. It was a very queer and original 
place altogether ; and with a good fire, and a little pre- 
caution in keeping from under the leaks in the roof, not 
at all uncomfortable. Our Crusoe friend, overhearing 
us say that it was a glorious place to live in, a regular 
castle, where a man might spend his days like a king, 
smiled again a crusty smile, and growled, 

" There's tea in that 'ere box. Ef you want some you 
kin have it. I got it out'n a ship that came from China. 
There ain't better tea nowhere." 

We thanked him heartily for his kindness, and de- 
clared at the same time that we regarded good tea as 
the very rarest luxury of life. Again his face cracked 
into something like a smile, and he said, 

"Better tea never was drunk in China. Efyou like, 
I'll put sugar in it." 

We declared that sugar was the very thing of all the 
luxuries in the world that Ave Avere most attached to, but 
we could not drink it Avith any sort of relish if avc 
thought it Avould be robbing him of his stores. If he 
had these things to spare Ave Avould cheerfully use them, 

E 



98 CKUSOE'S ISLAND. 

and pay him three or four times their value in provisions 
from the ship. 

"Darn the ship!" cried Crusoe; "I don't care a cuss 
about the ship, so long as you don't get drunk and tear 
my house down !" 

Upon this we protested that we would sooner tear the 
hair out of our heads by the roots than tear down so 
unique and extraordinary a structure as his house ; and 
as to his furniture, it was worth its weight in gold; 
every stick of it would bring five hundred dollars in the 
city of New York. 

Whereupon Pearce stirred about in the obscure cor- 
ners with wonderful alacrity, rooting up all sorts of 
queer things out of dark places, and muttering to him- 
self meantime, 

" I'm as fond of company as any body, ef they're the 
right sort ; and I'll be squarmed ef I ain't an independ- 
dent character too. I don't owe nobody for a buildin' 
of my house, or a makin' of my furniture. I did it all 
myself, long before California was skeer'd up." 

He then put down the old kettle on the fire, and, as 
soon as the water was boiled, emptied a large cupful of 
tea into it, and set it near the fire to draw. While the 
tea was drawing, he fried a panful of kid, and bi-oiled 
some fish on the coals ; and when it was all done, he 
gave us each a tin plate, and told us to eat as much as 
we wanted, and be darn'd to the ship, so long as we be- 
haved like Christians. Then he furnished us .with cups 
for the tea, and some sea-biscuit, which he dug out of 
the cupboard ; and I must declare, in all sincerity, that 
Ave made a most excellent supper. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 99 



CHAPTER XVI. 

DIFFICULTY BETWEEN ABRAHAM AND THE DOUBTER. 

Every one of us, except the man that had no faith in 
Robinson Crusoe, admitted that the tea was the best 
ever produced in China or any where else ; that the fried 
kid was perfectly delicious; that the fish were the fat- 
test and tenderest ever fished out of the sea ; that the 
biscuit tasted a thousand times better than the biscuit 
we had on boai'd ship ; that the whole house and all 
about it were wonderfully well arranged for comfort ; 
and that Pearce, after all, was the jolliest old brick of a 
Crusoe ever found upon a desolate island. 

In fine, we came to the conclusion that it was a glori- 
ous life, calculated to enlarge a man's soul ; an inde- 
pendent life ; a perfect Utopia in its way. " Let us," 
said we, " spend the remainder of our days here ! Who 
cares about the gold of Ophir, when he can live like a 
king on this island, and be richer and happier than Sol- 
omon in his temple !" 

" You'd soon be tired of it," muttered a voice from a 
dark corner : it was the voice of the Doubter. " You 
wouldn't be here a month till you'd give the eyes out of 
your heads to get away." 

" Where's that man ?" cried several of us, fiercely. 

"I'm here — here in the corner, gentlemen, rayther 
troubled with fleas." 

" You'd better turn in and go to sleep." 

"I can't sleep. Nobody can sleep here. I've tried 
it long enough. I reckon the fleas will eat us all up by 
morning, and leave nothing but the hair of our heads. 
I doubt if they'll leave that." 

" Was there ever such a man ? Why, you do nothing 
but throw cold water on every body." 



100 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

" No I don't ; it comes through the roof. It's as much 
as I can do to keep clear of it myself, without throwin' 
it on other people." With this Ave let him alone. 

The fire now blazed cheerfully, sending its ruddy glow 
through the cabin. A rude earthen lamp, that hung 
from one of the rafters, also shed its cheerful light upon us 
as we sat in a circle round the crackling fagots ; and al- 
together our rustic quarters looked very lively and pleas- 
ant. Every face beamed with good-humor. Even the 
face of the Doubter belied his croaking remarks, and 
glowed with unwonted enthusiasm. Little Jim Paxton, 
the whaler, under the inspiration of the tea, which was 
uncommonly strong, volunteered a song; and the cries 
of bravo being general, he gave us, in true sailor style, 

"I'm monarch of all I survey, 

My right there is none to dispute ; 
From the centre all round to the sea, 
I'm lord of the fowl and the brute ! 
Oh Solitude where are the charms," &c. 

This was so enthusiastically applauded, that my friend 
Abraham, whose passion for all sorts of curiosities had 
led him to explore musty old books as well as musty old 
caves for odds and ends, now rose on his goatskin, and 
said that, with permission of the company, he would at- 
tempt something which he considered peculiarly appro- 
priate to the occasion. He was not much of a singer, 
but he hoped the interest attached to the words would 
be a sufficient compensation for all the deficiencies of 
voice and style. 

" Go ahead, Abraham !" cried every body, greatly in- 
terested by these remarks. "Let us have the song! 
Out with it !" 

"First," said Abraham, clearing his voice, "I beg 
leave to state, for the benefit of all who may not be 
familiar with the ftict, that this is no vulgar or common- 
place song, as many people suppose who sing it. On the 
contrary, it may be regarded as a classical production. 
Among the many effusions to which the popularity of 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 101 

Uobinspn Crusoe gave rise, none was a greater favorite 
in its day than the song which I am about to attempt. 
It has been customary to introduce it in the character 
of Jerry Sneak, in Foote's celebrated farce, the Mayor 
of Garratt. As the words are now nearly forgotten, I 
hope you'll not consider it tiresome if I go through to 
the end. Join in the chorus, gentlemen !" 

POOR ROBINSON CRUSOE. 
"When I was a lad, my fortune was bad, 
My grandfather I did lose O; 
I'll bet you a can, you've heard of the man, 
His name it was Robinson Crusoe. 
Oh ! poor Robinson Crusoe, 
Tinky ting tang, tinky ting' tang, 
Oh ! poor Robinson Crusoe. 

"You've read in a book of a voyage he took, 
While the raging whirlwinds blew, so 
That the ship with a shock fell plump on a rock, 
Near drowning poor Robinson Crusoe. 
Oh ! poor, &c. 

"Poor soul ! none but he escaped on the sea. 
Ah, Fate ! Fate ! how could you do so ? 
'Till at length he was thrown on an island unknown, 
Which received poor Robinson Crusoe." 

"Here, gentlemen, I beg you to take notice that we 
are now, in all probability, on the very spot. I have the 
strongest reasons for supposing that the castle of our ex- 
cellent host, in which we are at this moment enjoying 
the flow of soul and the feast of reason, is built upon the 
identical site occupied in former times by the castle of 
the remarkable adventurer in whose honor this song was 
composed. But to proceed — 

"Tinky ting tang, tinky ting tang, 
Oh ! poor Robinson Crusoe. 

" But he saved from on board a gun and a sword, 
And another old matter or two, so 
That by dint of his thrift, he managed to shift 
Pretty well, for poor Robinson Crusoe. 
Oh ! poor, &c. 



102 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

" He wanted something to eat, and couldn't get meat, 
The cattle away from him flew, so 
That but for his gun he'd been sorely undone, 
And starved would poor Robinson Crusoe. 
Oh ! poor, &c. 

"And he happened to save from the merciless wave' 
A poor parrot, I assure you 'tis true, so 
That when he came home, from a wearisome roam, 
Used to cry out, Poor Robinson Crusoe. 
Oh ! poor, &c. 

"Then he got all the wood that ever he could, 
And stuck it together with glue, so 
That he made him a hut, in which he might put 
The carcass of Robinson Crusoe." 

" Hold on there ! hold on !" cried a voice, in a high 
state of excitement. Every body turned to see who it 
was that dared to interrupt so inspiring a song. Imme- 
diately the indignant gaze was fixed upon the face of the 
Doubter, who, with outstretched neck, was peering at 
Abraham from his dark corner. "Excuse me, gentle- 
men," said he, " but I want some information on that 
point. Did you mean to say, sir, that he, Robinson Cru- 
soe, stuck the wood together with glue when he built 
his house ? with glue, did you say ?" 

" So the song goes," said Abraham, a little confused, 
not to say irritated. " Doubtless the words are used in 
a metaphorical sense. There is every reason to believe 
that this is a mere poetical license ; but it doesn't alter 
the general accuracy of the history. For my own part, 
I am disposed to think that the house was built very 
much upon the same principles as that of our friend 
Pearce ; in fact, that it was precisely such an establish- 
ment as we at present occupy." 

"Go on, sir — go on; I'm perfectly satisfied," mutter- 
ed the Doubter; "the whole thing hangs together by 
means of glue ; every part of it is connected with the 
same material !" 

Abraham reddened to the eyebrows at this uncalled- 
for remark ; his fine features, usually so placid and full 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 103 

of good nature, were distorted with indignation ; he 
turned fiercely toward the Doubter; he instinctively 
doubled up both fists ; he breathed hard between his 
clenched teeth ; then, hearing a low murmur of dissua- 
sion from the whole party, he turned away with a smile of 
contempt, breaking abruptly into the burden of his song, 

"Tinky ting tang, tinky ting tang, 
Oh ! poor Robinson Crusoe ! 

' ' While his man Friday kept the house snug and tidy, 
For be sure 'twas his business to do so, 
They lived friendly together, less like servant than neighbor, 
Lived Friday and Robinson Crusoe. 
Oh ! poor, &c. 

" Then he wore a large cap, and a coat without nap, 
And a beard as long as a Jew, so 
That, by all that's civil, he looked like a devil 
More than poor Robinson Crusoe." 

"Which shows," continued Abraham, with his accus- 
tomed smile of good humor, " the extraordinary shifts to 
which a man may be reduced by necessity, and the un- 
couth appearance he must present in a perfectly unshaved 
state, when even the poet admits that he looked like a 
devil. These articles of clothing, which contributed to 
give him such a wild aspect, were made of goatskins, as 
he himself informs us in his wonderful narrative ; and I 
beg you to remember, gentlemen, that the very skins 
upon which we are this moment sitting are related, by 
direct descent, to those which were worn by Robinson 
Crusoe." 

Here the Doubter groaned. 

" Well, sir, is there any thing improbable in that ?" 
said Abraham, fiercely. " Have you any objection to 
that remark, sir ?" 

"No; I have nothing to say against it in particular, 
except that I'd believe it sooner if there were goats in 
the skins. I never heard of modern goatskins descend- 
ing from ancient goatskins before." 

" Of course, sir," said Abraham, coloring, " the goats 
were in the skins before they were taken out." 



104 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

"Likely they were," growled the Doubter; " I won't 
dispute that. But I'd like to know, as a matter of infor- 
mation, if he, Robinson Crusoe, made his clothes in the 
same way as he made his house ?" 

" To be sure, sir ; to be sure : he made both with his 
own hands." 

" I thought so," said the Doubter, sinking back into 
his dark corner ; " he sew'd 'em with glue. All glue — 
glue from beginning to end." 

" I'll see you to-morrow, sir !" said Abraham, swelling 
with indignation ; " we'll settle this matter to-morrow, 
sir. At present I shall pay no further attention to your 
remarks !" Here he drew several rapid breaths, as if 
swallowing down his passion ; and, looking round with 
a darkened brow upon the mute and astonished company, 
resumed, in a loud and steady voice, 

"Tinky ting tang, tinky ting tang, 
Oh ! poor Robinson Crusoe ! 

"At length, within hail, he saw a stout sail, 

And he took to his little canoe ; so, 
■ When he reach'd the ship, they gave him a trip, 

Back to England brought Robinson Crusoe. 
Oh ! poor Robinson Crusoe !" 

"We all joined in the chorus — all, except the incredu- 
lous man ; and, notwithstanding the unfortunate differ- 
ence between Abraham and that individual, which tended 
so much to mar the harmony of the occasion, we thought, 
from the way our voices sounded, that it must have been 
the very first time this inspiring song was sung in the 
solitudes of Juan Fernandez. I even fancied I detected 
the crusty voice of Pearce in the chorus ; but I wouldn't 
like to make a positive assertion to that effect, on account 
of the danger of giving him offense, should he ever cast 
his eyes upon this narrative. As there was still evident- 
ly a cloud upon Abraham's brow, which might burst to- 
morrow upon the Doubter, and thereby bring the whole 
adventure to a tragic termination, several of us now, by 
a concerted movement, endeavored to effect a reconcilia- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 105 

tion. We seized upon the Doubter, who by this time 
was dozing away in the corner, and brought him forth to 
the light, where he looked about him in mute astonish- 
ment, muttering, as if awakened out of a dream, " No, 
sir, it can't be done, sir ; a house never was built with 
glue yet ; goatskins never were sewed together with 
glue — never, sir, never !" 

" You shall swallow those words, sir !" cried Abraham, 
quivering with passion ; "I'll make you swallow them, 
sir, to-morrow morning !" 

" I'll swallow 'em now if you like," drawled the Doubt- 
er, with provoking coolness, " but I can't swallow a house 
built of glue. Possibly I might swallow the goatskins, 
but the house won't go down — it ain't the kind of thing 
to go down !" 

Here it required our full force to restrain Abraham ; 
he fairly chafed with indignation ; his face was flushed ; 
his nostrils distended ; his stalwart limbs writhing con- 
vulsively ; in truth, our well-meant plan of reconciliation 
only seemed to hasten the tragedy which we were striv- 
ing to prevent. Pearce himself now interposed. 

"I know'd it," said he; "I know'd they'd tear my 
house down yet, and ruin my furniture! Next thing, 
all hands'll be breakin' my chairs to pieces on one an- 
other's heads ; I know'd it ; I wouldn't believe 'em on 
oath !" 

This rebuke touched Abraham in a tender point. Quick 
to take offense, he was also ready in forgiving an injury, 
especially when a due regard for the feelings of others 
required it. 

" Gentlemen," said he, " it shall never be said that I 
have violated the rites of hospitality. There shall be 
no further difficulty about this matter ; I forgive all. 
Your hand, sir !" 

The Doubter awkwardly held out his hand and suffer- 
ed it to be shaken, upon which he crept back into his 
dark corner, still, however, muttering incoherently from 
time to time ; but as nothing could be distinguished but 

E2 



L06 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

the word " glue," it was not deemed of sufficient import- 
ance for the renewal of hostilities, or the interruption of 
the general harmony. Good humor being restored, it 
was all the more hearty after these unpleasant little 
episodes ; and so genial an effect had it upon Pearce, 
that he quite forgot his resentment, and unbended him- 
self again. Gradually he began to tell us wild stories 
of his Crusoe life ; how he had lived all alone for nearly 
a year on the island of Massafuero without seeing the 
face of man ; how, during that time, he sustained him- 
self upon roots and herbs, and likewise by catching wild 
goats in traps ; how he never w T as so happy in his life, 
and never had any trouble till he left that island in a 
whaler, and came here to Juan Fernandez ; how for two 
years he had lived on this island, sometimes alone, and 
sometimes surrounded by outlawed Chilians; how on 
one occasion, while up in the mountains hunting goats, 
he fell down a precipice, and broke his arm and two of 
his ribs, and was near dying all alone, without a soul to 
care for him. A great many strange stories and legends 
he told us, too, in his rude way, about Juan Fernandez; 
and so strong was his homely language, and so fresh and 
novel his reminiscences, that we often looked round in 
the waning light of the lamp for fear some ghost or 
murderer would steal in upon us. 

As well as I can remember, one of his strange narra- 
tives was substantially as follows. There was all the 
force of reality to give it interest ; for it was evidently, 
as he told us, a simple recital of facts. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE MURDER. 

About five years ago (I think he said it was in 1844), 
a murder was committed on the island by the father of 
one of the present Chilian residents. Pearce was then 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 107 

in Valparaiso, and bad a statement of the circumstances 
from some of the parties concerned in it. 




TRAGIC FATE OP THE SCOTCHMAN. 



A Scotch sailor, it appeared, deserted from a vessel 
that touched at the island for wood and water. For a 
time he concealed himself in a cave among the cliffs near 
the bay. When the vessel sailed, he came down into 
the valley and built himself a hut out of straw, in which 
he resided several months alone. By fishing, and catch- 
ing wild goats in traps, he supported himself comfort- 
ably, and was becoming reconciled to his isolated life, 
when a family of Chilians, consisting of five or six men 
and women, under the control of an old Spaniard, father- 
in-law of one of the younger men, came over about this 
period in a small trading vessel from Massafuero. They 
had been living there for some time, but thought they 
could do better in Juan Fernandez. There were no 
huts standing there then except that belonging to the 
sailor. The Chilians prevailed upon him to let them oc- 
cupy a part of his house, promising to build themselves 
one as soon as they could cut straw and wood enough. 
Every day they went out on the hill-sides to cut the 
straw, and they seemed to be making good progress 
with their hut. One night the sailor, as he lay in bed, 



108 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

overheard one of the Chilians say to the others, " We 
are working hard every day, but it will be a long time 
before we can get a house built. Neither will it be big 
enough for us all when we finish it. This man is noth- 
ing but a heretic, therefore it would be no sin to take 
his life. Let us kill him, and then we can have his house, 
which has other buildings to it, without the trouble of 
doing any more work." The others agreed to this, all 
except one woman, who said God would never suffer 
them to prosper if they committed such a deed. How- 
ever, they silenced her by threats, and then talked fur- 
ther upon the best means of murdering the Scotchman. 
Having been a beach-comber for many years in Spanish 
countries, he understood the language, and it so hap- 
pened that he overheard nearly every woi'd. Being a 
powerful man, of great courage and fierce temper, he 
sprang from his bed, and swore they must leave the house 
at that very instant, or he would cut their throats. The 
woman he would have spared this treatment, but he 
knew she would only fare the worse for his protection. 
Finding him resolute, they took their things and left the 
house ; but after they were out in the dark, it being a 
stormy night, they begged so hard for shelter that he 
told them they might go into a shed, which he had built 
some distance off to keep goats in. Here they remained, 
without daring to molest him, until their own house was 
completed. In the mean time, the suspicions of the sailor 
were lulled by their friendly behavior, and he often spent 
a part of his time in social talk with them, which was 
the more agreeable inasmuch as the old man's daughter, 
who had taken his part at first, fell in love with him, and, 
although jealously watched by her husband, found fre- 
quent chances of meeting him alone. He became much 
attached to her, as well on account of her attempt to 
save his life as the charms of her person, which were 
well calculated to excite admiration and kindle the amor- 
ous flame. She was a very beautiful woman, a Chilian 
by birth, and was married against her inclination ; and 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 109 

coming from a country where the marriage tie is not 
considered so sacred as it is in more northern climes, she 
had but little scruple in yielding to her guilty love. 
His manly person and bold bearing had attracted her in 
the first place, and these stolen interviews only served 
to strengthen the passion that grew up between them. 
At this period they were joined by an English sailor, 




THE LOVEES. 

another deserter, who took up his quarters with the 
Chilians in their new abode, and became a member of 
their gang. The Scotchman had refused, from some dis- 
like that he formed to this man on first sight, to take 
him into his cabin. This led to a mutual hatred, which 
was soon increased by other causes. The Englishman, 
struck by the beauty of the young woman, whose affec- 
tions the other had won, now made love to her on all 
occasions, but she gave him no encouragement. He at- 
tributed his failure to the Scotchman, whom he secretly 
watched. Fired with jealousy and deadly hatred to- 
ward his rival, he resolved upon putting him to death 
by stratagem, for he was too cowardly to undertake it 
openly. Having learned the difficulty that had previ- 
ously occurred, he took occasion to tell the Chilians that 
the Scotchman was their mortal enemy, and only awaited 



K 



110 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

an opportunity to murder them all, so as to get entire 
possession of the young woman, with whom he had al- 
ready formed a guilty connection. At this period three 
Americans deserted from a whale-ship and joined the 
Scotchman. Through some accident, or most likely by 
foul means, his hut took fire soon after, and was burnt 
to the ground. He and his companions were obliged to 
move to a cave near by, where they designed living till 
they could build another. Knowing nothing of the 
schemes of the English sailor, who took care that it 
should not be found out through the woman, they were 
ignorant of the hostile intention of the Chilians, till one 
day, as they were scattered over the valley, cutting wild 
oats for their cabin, the Englishman told the old man, 
who was the leader of the Chilians, that he had overheard 
the other party say they were going to murder them all 
that night ; and prevailed upon him to muster his men 
together secretly, and settle the matter at once. They 
all went first to the cave, and took possession of the 
arms left there by the Americans and their leader. The 
old man, followed at a distance by his comrades, there- 
upon proceeded to the valley with a loaded gun ; and 
seeing the Scotchman at a distance from the others, he ' 
stole upon him and shot him through the body with 
slugs. Badly wounded, but not mortally, the Scotch- 
man shouted to his friends that he was shot ; that they 
must follow him and fight for their lives, upon which he 
ran, covered with blood, toward the cave, followed by 
the Americans. On arriving there they found all their 
fire-arms gone : they fought for some time with their 
knives, but were finally overpowered by the Chilian par- 
ty and bound hand and foot. 

Next day it so happened that a whale-ship came into 
the harbor for wood and water. The Americans were 
carried back some distance and hid among the cliffs, with 
an armed guard over them, so that they might be out of 
the way when the people from the ship came ashore ; 
and the wounded man was concealed in a cave. The 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



Ill 



Englishman then went on board with the old Chilian, 
and told the captain that a deserter from a whale-ship, 
who had been on the island some time, had undertaken 
to murder them, and they had shot him in self-defense. 
Their story was plausibly told, and was believed. They 
said the man was not dead, and they asked the captain 
to take him away, as they wanted to get rid of him. 
The captain refused to do this, saying he would have 
nothing to do with a deserter ; if the man got into 
trouble by his misconduct, he might get out of it the 
best way he could. When the vessel sailed, which was 
the next day, the Chilians, in compliance with the advice 
of the Englishman, took their wounded prisoner out into 
an open space, and shot him through the heart. He fell 
dead upon the spot. They then dug a hole in the ground 
and buried him ; and, in order to keep his spirit from 
rising upon them at night, they erected a cross over the 
grave. The woman, upon hearing that her lover was 




GRAVE OP THE MURDERED MAN. 



murdered, fell into a state of melancholy, and refused to 
taste any food for many days. Such was her distress, 
that she wandered about the cliffs like one bereft of her 
senses, and was often found at night weeping upon his 
grave. Indeed, she never fully recovered, but was al- 
ways from that time weakly and unsettled in her mind. 



112 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

Another vessel came into port in the course of a few 
months, and the affair became known through the three 
Americans, who made their escape and got on board. 
News of the murder was carried to Talcahuana by this 
vessel ; and as soon as it reached Valparaiso, a small 
Chilian cutter, then lying in the harbor, was dispatched 
to the island of Juau Fernandez to capture and bring 
home the murderers. On their arrival in Valparaiso 
they were taken in irons to Santiago, the seat of govern- 
ment, where they were tried and sentenced to be shot 
in the public plaza. Some of the circumstances, con- 
sidered palliating, became known before the execution 
was carried into effect, and their punishment was com- 
muted to five years' banishment on the island of St. 
Felix. 

The Chilian government still holds a penal settleriient 
on that island. All criminals of a desperate character 
are sent there and subjected to hard labor. The term 
for which these murderers had been banished had just 
expired (in 1849), and it was supposed by the present 
Chilian residents that they would return by the first 
opportunity to Juan Fernandez. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE SKULL. 

During the recital of this tragical narrative, Abraham, 
who had listened to every word with intense interest, 
became strangely agitated. Several times it was appar- 
ently with the utmost difficulty he could refrain from re- 
lieving himself of something that produced an unusual 
effect upon his mind. Especially when it came to the 
death of the unfortunate Scotchman, I thought I noticed 
that he was intensely excited. At first, knowing the 
tenderness of his feelings, I attributed this extraordinary 
manifestation of intei*est to grief and pity for the un- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 113 

happy fate of the beautiful Chilian ; but I soon found 
that it proceeded from another and very different cause. 
No sooner had Pearce concluded than he exclaimed, 

"I'll wager a thousand dollars, gentlemen, that the 
Scotchman never was buried !" 

"He was buried, certain," said Pearce; "I can show 
you the place." 

"Then there is some strange mystery about it," said 
Abraham, somewhat disappointed. "This very day I 
found a man's skull, which I am now quite certain has 
some connection with this tragedy." 

The intense excitement produced by this disclosure is 
quite indescribable. Every body in the party leaned 
forward, with starting eyes, and gazed with breathless 
interest at Abraham. He had purposely withheld mak- 
ing any reference to the affair of the skull till a fitting 
opportunity should occur to disclose all the particulars, 
when the mind of every individual present was in a 
proper tone of solemnity to receive so important a com- 
munication. That opportunity had how occurred, under 
the most favorable and unlooked-for circumstances. I 
never saw Abraham so excited in my life before — not 
even on the Sccasion of his late unpleasant difficulty. 

"Gentlemen," said he, "I had a presentiment before 
we left the ship that this expedition would result in 
some extraordinary discovery. You may judge from 
the facts which I am about to disclose to you how far 
this presentiment has been verified." 

He then, in a voice of becoming solemnity, went into 
a detailed narrative of our adventures in the mountains. 
He commenced at the very starting-point, where we 
separated from the hunting party ; he dwelt vividly on 
our perilous adventure on the cliff, stating all the par- 
ticulars of our escape ; how Ave climbed up a perpendic- 
ular wall of rocks four thousand feet high ; how we 
stood upon the very highest pinnacle, which was only 
ten inches in diameter ; how, when we came down again 
to the base, we lay perfectly insensible for an entire hour ; 



114 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

and the wonderful adventures we had in the interior — 
the walk of six miles directly back from the ocean ; our 
preservation from a horrible and lingering death by 
thirst, through the agency of a little bird ; the Enchant- 
ed Valley that we explored, and the two wild horses we 
caught entangled in the bushes, and afterward rode; 
our discovery of an old castle built in the sixteenth cen- 
tury by Juan Fernando ; the mysterious marks upon the 
outer wall ; our strange and startling explorations of the 
interior vaults and marble halls ; and finally the discov- 
ery of the skull — the skull of some unfortunate man who 
had crept into one of those dreary vaults, where he died 
on a miserable bed of straw, all alone, without a soul 
near him ! Afterward how he (Abraham) and myself 
were overtaken by a frightful tornado, and cast clow T n 
over the rocks a distance of three miles in a direct line; 
how, during this terrible fall, he had the misfortune to 
strike a rock, and ruin the invaluable relic of mortality 
which he had put in his pocket, by breaking it all to 
pieces ; but — 

" Did you save the pieces ?" asked a voice from the 
corner. Of course it was the voice of the Doubter. A 
look from Abraham silenced him, and the narrative was 
resumed : 

But it fortunately happened that a portion of the 
socket of one eye and a piece of the forehead remained 
entire, which, together with all the smaller fragments, 
he would be most happy to exhibit to the company ; 
premising, however, that there was but little question in 
his mind, from all the particulars of Pearce's tragical 
narrative, that this skull was in some way or other con- 
nected with it. Possibly it might be that the unhappy 
young woman, who it appears was the victim of an in- 
ordinate passion for the murdered man, bereft of her 
senses by his tragical death, went to his grave at night 
and dug up his body, and being unable to carry it away 
at once, perhaps she cut it to pieces, and carried it by 
degrees up to her secret place of wailing in the mount- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 115 

ains, where she could mourn over his remains without 
fear of discovery. It was not an unreasonable conjec- 
ture, he thought, considering the woman was insane. In 
some hour of despondency she had probably made those 
mysterious designs which had led to the discovery — the 
sketch of the dead body of her lover ; the ship that left 
the island without saving him ; some pet goat that 
doubtless accompanied her in her wanderings ; the chil- 
dren that were strangled, and all those vague marks, 
which indicated the character of her thoughts. 

During the narration of these adventures, which I 
must confess astonished me not a little, well as I knew 
the enthusiastic character of my friend (and he never 
was more in earnest in his life), I observed that Pearce 
had doubled himself up almost into a knot, covering his 
face with his hands, and heaving convulsively, as if 
moved by some internal earthquake. There was no 
sound escaped him, but it was quite evident that he was 
strangely affected by Abraham's narrative. The rest of 
the party were so deeply interested in the whole disclo- 
sure that they took no notice of him. Could it be that 
Pearce himself was implicated in the murder? That it 
was all a fiction his being in Valparaiso at the time ? 
That he was in any way attached to this unfortunate fe- 
male, whose sad fate had aroused all our sympathies ? 

" I'd like to see that skull," said the Doubter. 

" Here it is — or what remains of it," said Abraham, 
drawing forth the pieces from his pocket ; " you can all 
see it if you wish." 

The pieces were handed round and examined with in- 
tense interest and curiosity. 

" You call this a man's skull ?" said the Doubter, look- 
ing incredulously at a piece which he held in his hand. 

" I do, sir," said Abraham, sharply ; " have you any ob- 
jection to my calling it a man's skull, sir ?" 

"No, none at all; you may call it a dog's skull if you 
like. Pel call it Robinson Crusoe's skull if I owned it. 
For all I know to the contrary, it is his ; but I'd like to 



110 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

have a certificate from himself to that effect before I'd 
place much confidence in my own opinion, if I thought 
so." 

The biting satire of these remarks touched Abraham 
to the quick. Nothing in the world would have pre- 
vented him from springing upon the Doubter at that 
moment, and taking summary vengeance upon his per- 
son, but the sudden exit of Pearce, who, rising from his 
goatskin, hurriedly left the cabin. This produced a gen- 
eral murmur of disapprobation. It was the unanimous 
opinion that a course of conduct, resulting as this did — 
compelling a man, as it were, to leave his own castle for 
personal security, was very unbecoming ; and that Abra- 
ham, being the chief, although perhaps unintentional 
cause of it, was in honor bound to go after him and bring 
him back. 

I take pride in saying that my friend was not the kind 
of man to resist such an appeal as this. Pie immediate- 
ly left the hut and went in search of Pearce. Mean- 
while we took occasion to administer a well-merited re- 
buke to the Doubter ; and to declare that if he again in- 
terrupted the harmony of the evening, we would leave 
him ashore when we started for the ship. His only re- 
ply to this was, that he hoped, if he should unfortunately 
die in a cave in consequence of our cruelty, that his head 
would make a better-looking skull than the one Abra- 
ham had found. 

In about ten minutes Abraham and Pearce returned, 
both having a very strange expression upon their fea- 
tures. Pearce looked unnaturally serious about the 
mouth, but I fancied more knowing than usual about the 
eyes. In sitting down he dropped a dollar, which he 
hastily picked up and put in his pocket. As to my 
friend, I thought there was something confused and de- 
jected in his look; but he immediately said with as- 
sumed spirits when he came in, " All right, gentlemen ; 
all right. The whole thing is settled ; let there be noth- 
ing more about it." 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 117 

Some few questions, however, were asked concerning 
the skull, but all the satisfaction Abraham could give 
was, " You have' the particulars, gentlemen ; you must 
judge for yourselves."- Pearce professed to know noth- 
ing about it. 

Harmony and good-humor being again restored, there 
were numerous calls for some farther' reminiscences of 
the island. 

Pearce said he didn't know whether any of us had 
ever heard of the governor's vision ; if we hadn't, may- 
be we'd like to hear something about it. Pie couldn't 
promise that it was all true, but the Chilians here be- 
lieved every word of it ; " and, likely enough," he added, 
looking quietly at Abraham, " there may be some of you 
that can account for it." 

" Let us have it !" exclaimed every body in a breath ; 
"the governor's vision, by all means." 

Pearce then fixed himself comfortably on his goatskin, 
and, putting some fagots on the fire, gave us in substance 
the following history of 

THE GOVERNOR'S VISION. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

THE GOVERNOR'S VISION. 

The highest peak on the island of Juan Fernandez is 
called the Peak of Yonka. It forms an abrupt precipice 
all round, of several hundred feet. Various attempts 
have been made from time to time, by sailors and others, 
to ascend to the summit, but this feat has never been ac- 
complished except in a single instance. A cross still 
stands upon it, which was erected by two Chilians many 
years ago, under very strange circumstances. It appears 
that the Chilian governor at the time of the penal settle- 
ment in Cumberland Bay went out riding one day near 
this mountain. On his return he related to his people a 



118 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

strange vision which he had seen in the course of his 
ramble. He said that, while looking at the peak, he saw 
down in the valley that lay between a tall man dressed 
in black, with a black hat on, mounted on a horse of the 
purest white. The strange rider turned toward him, 
showing a face of ghastly paleness. He looked at him 
steadfastly, with " eyes of fire," as the governor declared, 
the glare of which made the air hot all around. The 
governor, trembling with awe, made the sign of the 
cross, upon which the strange horseman put spurs to his 
horse, and rode straight up the precipice to the summit 
of the peak, where he stopped a moment to look back. 
He then, upon seeing the sign of the cross made again, 
waved his hands wildly, as if in despair, and plunged out 
of sight on the other side. Being a devout man, and 
withal a believer in spirits, the governor considered this 
to be an omen of some impending calamity, which could 
only be averted by planting a cross on the peak. For 
this purpose he selected two criminals, under sentence 
of death for the murder of a soldier, and offered them 
their liberty if they Avould make the ascent and erect the 
cross. In the one case there was the certainty of death, 
in the other a chance of life. The criminals therefore 
resolved to make the attempt. Ropes, ladders, and tools 
were furnished them by the governor, and they were al- 
lowed such provisions as they required, with injunctions 
that at the expiration of ten days, in case of failure, they 
would be executed. For eight days they toiled inces- 
santly. They drove spikes into the walls of rock, and 
day by day went up a little higher, letting themselves 
down again at night by ropes to the base of the preci- 
pice. On the eighth day they reached the summit, ready 
to die of fright, and worn to skeletons at the terrible or- 
deal through which they had passed. It took them all 
the next day to recover sufficiently to be able to resume 
their labors. The table on the top was of solid rock, not 
more than fifty feet in diameter. In the centre was a 
spring of clear water bubbling up and running over the 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 119 

rocks. One of them bathed in this water, and was so 
refreshed that he thought it must have some magical 
properties. He went over to the edge on the western 
side, and looked down to see where it fell. Directly be- 
neath him, he saw a line stretched from two points of 
rock over the precipice, nearly covered with linen shirts, 
as white as the driven snow, and apparently of the finest 
texture. He called to his comrade to come and witness 
this wonderful sight. While the two men wei'e looking 
over, there came a tremendous hurricane, that compelled 
them to throw themselves flat on their backs to avoid 
being blown over into the abyss. After the hurricane 
had passed they again looked over, but the line and 
shirts had disappeared, and they saw nothing but the 
bare rocks. They then fell upon their knees and prayed, 
and the vision of an angel appeared to them, telling them 
to put up the cross near the spring. As soon as they 
had planted the cross, they let themselves down by the 
ropes, and hastened to tell the governor of the strange 
adventures that had befallen them. So impressed was 
he by their wonderful narrative, that he immediately 
gave them their freedom, as he had promised, and sent 
them home laden with presents ; and he had crosses 
erected on various parts of the island, and masses per- 
formed by the soldiers for a long time after. 

" I wouldn't swear to it all," added Pearce, looking 
again toward Abraham. " But likely some of you gen- 
tlemen, who have more schoolin' than I have, may be 
able to account for it." 

Abraham reddened a little and looked confused, but 
said nothing. A voice from the corner broke in, 

" I know exactly how it happened ; nothing is easier 
than to account for it. In the first place, it didn't hap- 
pen at all. The governor was dyspeptic. I'm rayther 
dyspeptic myself, gentlemen, and I know what sights a 
man sees when he gets the horrors from dyspepsia. I've 
seen stranger sights than that when it was bad on me — 
once, in particular, I was troubled a good deal worse than 
the governor." 



120 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

" Impossible," said Abraham, scornfully, " utterly im- 
possible, sir, that you could ever have seen any thing 
half so strange as the governor's vision." 

"I didn't see a house made of glue," retorted the 
Doubter. " I didn't ride on wild horses ; neither did I 
find a castle with a skull in it. I didn't carry the skull 
six miles, and then find out that it came off the head of 
a four-legged man ; and that the four-legged man was 
cut to pieces by his lady-love ; but I'll tell you what I 
did see." 

"Hold, sir, hold !" cried Abraham, now perfectly furi- 
ous. " By heavens, gentlemen, I can't stand such insults 
as these ! You must suffer me to chastise this wretch. 
Miserable poltroon ! do you dare to taunt me in that 
manner ? I'll see you, sir — I'll see you to-morrow morn- 
ing!" 

" Likely you will," said the Doubter, coolly, at the 
same time shrinking back a little. " Likely you will, if 
you look in the right direction. Keep your dander down 
till then, and you'll see a good deal better. In the mean 
time, gentlemen, if you like to listen, I'll tell you what 
happened when the dyspepsia was bad on me." 

Of course, any proposition calculated to restore har- 
mony was heartily approved, and thereupon we were 
forced to listen to — 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE DOUBTER'S DYSPEPTIC STORY. 

Once, when the dyspepsia was bad on me, I went to 
bed rayther low-spirited, and began to think I was go- 
ing to die. I thought I couldn't live till morning. My 
stomach was as hard as a brick-bat, and I was cold all 
over. The more cover I piled on, the colder I got. The 
minute I shut my eyes, I was scared to death at the 
darkness. I felt as if something dreadful was going to 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



121 




THE DOCBTER. 



happen, and didn't know exact- 
ly what it was. Sometimes I 
thought robbers were under the 
bed, and sometimes I heard 
strange noises about the house. 
My heart stopped beating alto- 
gether ; I felt for my pulse, but 
couldn't find it in my wrists or 
any where else. Every bit of 
blood seemed to have oozed out 
of me in some mysterious way, 
and to all intents and purposes 
my body was dead. There was 
no dream about it. I could move 
my limbs the same as ever, and 
was as wide awake as I am this 
minute ; but there was no sign of life about me except 
that my mind had power to move the dead flesh ; for it 
was cold and clammy as that of a corpse. Any body 
else would have given up, and concluded he was a genu- 
ine corpse ; but you see I was not the sort of man to be- 
lieve such a thing as that without farther proof. I there- 
fore lay still a while, in hopes I'd get warm by-and-by, 
and feel better ; but I kept growing colder and colder, 
and at last was so cold that I felt like ice all over. I 
had the most dreadful and gloomy reflections. Every 
thing I thought about seemed blue, and dreary, and hope- 
less ; every body unhappy; and the whole future a desert 
waste, without one ray of light. Despair was upon me ; 
I cared for nothing ; it was all the same to me whether 
I lived or died. I wanted neither help, nor pity, nor 
love, nor life — all, all was wrapped in despair. The 
gloom of this state brought on a kind of lethargy ; a to- 
tal unconsciousness of every thing external. My mind 
only existed and operated, as it were, in perfect darkness. 
The body was nothing but a type of intense darkness 
and coldness wrapped around the spirit. In this state I 
at length heard whisperings in the air, outside of me as 



122 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

I thought. They drew nearer ; the voices were strange 
and unnatural ; I was conscious of a singular sensation, 
for a time, as if whirled rapidly through space ; then I 
heard the voices say, in low tones, " How cold he is ! 
how miserably cold he is ! but we'll soon warm him !" 
I now became sensible of strong gases in the air, but they 
produced no farther impression than the mere conscious- 
ness of their existence. Wild shrieks and moans, and 
dreadful hissing sounds arose around me. "Here Ave 
are," said the voices ; "glad of it, for he's terribly cold." 
"Put him there in that big furnace; it'll soon warm 
him," said another voice, in a tone of authority. I was 
then tossed, as I thought, some distance, and became 
suddenly still ; but the same cold and impenetrable dark- 
ness was around my spirit. "There, that fire's out!" 
said the voice, angrily ; " put him in another, and keep 
him well stirred up." Again there was a movement, 
and again I was still, but not so still as before, for I was 
conscious of a jarring sensation. " Out again !" roared 
the same voice, fiercely. " Out again ! you don't keep 
him Avell stirred up !" " He'-s as cold as ice," said the 
other voices ; " we can't do any thing with him." " Try 
him in the middle furnace !" said the chief voice, stern- 
ly ; " that'll melt the ice out of him !" Again I was 
whirled through the gases and deposited in some im- 
perceptible place ; but all this time I was growing colder 
and colder. There was a pause, and then the voices 
said, " He won't burn, sir ; don't you see he's putting the 
fire out." " Out again, by all the demons !" roared the 
chief voice, furiously. "Take him away! Carry him 
back to where you got him. The man's dyspeptic. We 
can't have such a miserable wretch here ! By Pluto ! 
he'd put out every fire we've got in a week. Bear a 
hand, you rascals! for may I be blessed if I ainH freez- 
ing myself!" Here the Doubter paused. 

"Well, sir, well," said Abraham, ironically, "have 
you any thing further to say on the same subject? any 
thing equally reliable ? Perhaps you can inform us how 
you got warm again ?" 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 123 

"Well, that doesn't properly belong to the story," 
said the Doubter, looking around meaningly upon the 
company. " I meant that it should end there ; but, if 
you insist upon it, I'll answer your question." 

" Of course, sir ; the matter requires explanation. It 
comes to rather an abrupt conclusion." 

"The way I got warm, then, was this: I picked up a 
skull when I was leaving the premises. It was full of 
hot glue. The fellows that were carrying me got their 
hands frostbitten and had to let go at last. I fell on an 
island. The first thing I struck was the top of a mount- 
ain. I slid down for three miles without stopping. On 
the way I broke the skull, and spilled the glue all over 
me, which made me slip so fast that I was quite warm 
by the time I got to the bottom." 

To this Abraham made no reply. Turning away from 
the Doubter with ferocity and indignation depicted in 
every feature, he looked silently around upon the com- 
pany ; his breast heaved convulsively ; his hands grasped 
nervously at the hair upon his goatskin ; he deliberately 
tore it out by the roots ; he suppressed a rising smile 
upon the face of every individual in the party by one 
more look at the Doubter — one terrible, scathing, fore- 
boding look of vengeance on the morrow; and then 
said, in a suppressed voice, " C4entlemen, suppose we turn 
in ; it must be twelve o'clock." 



CHAPTER XXI. 

BAD DREAM CONCERNING THE DOUBTER. 

As well as we could judge, Abraham was right in re- 
gard to the time ; and being all tired, after the story of 
the dyspeptic man we set about arranging our quarters 
for the night. I must admit, however, take it all in all, 
not omitting even the drawbacks to our enjoyment oc- 
casioned by the unfortunate state of things between my 



124 CKUSOE'S ISLAND. 

friend and the Doubter, and the probability of a hostile 
meeting in the morning, that from the time of leaving 
home, four months before, I had not spent so pleasant an 
evening. It was something to look back to with grati- 
fication and enjoyment all the rest of the voyage, should 
we indeed ever be able to resume our voyage. 

Pearce now pulled down an additional lot of goatskins 
from the rafters, which we spread on the ground so as 
to make a general bed ; and having piled some wood on 
the fire and bolted the door, we stretched ourselves in a 
circle, with our feet toward the blaze, and made a fair 
beginning for the night. It was only a beginning, how- 
ever, so far as I was concerned, for not long after I had 
closed my eyes and begun to doze, some restless gentle- 
man got up to see if there was any Spaniards trying to 
unbolt the door ; and in stepping over me he contrived 
to put one foot upon my head, just as I was trying to 
get from under a big rock that I saw rolling down from 
the top of a cliff. I was a good deal astonished, upon 
nervously grasping at it, to find that it was made of 
leather, and had a human foot in it, and likewise that it 
had a voice, and asked me, as if very much frightened, 
" What the deuce was the matter ?" This again, upon 
falling into another doze, brought to mind the footprint 




TIIK FOOTPRINT IN TIIE BAND. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



125 



in the sand, which occasioned me the greatest distress 
and anxiety. I tried to get away from it, but wherever 
I went I saw that fatal mark ; in the mountains, in the 
valleys, in the caves, on the rocks, on the trees, in the 
air, in the surf, in the darkness of the storm, I saw that 
dreadful footprint ; I saw it, through the dim vista of 
the past, upon tee banks of the Ohio, where I had played 
in boyhood; I saw it again in my first bright glowing- 
dream of the island world, when, with the simplicity of 
childhood, I prayed that I might be cast upon a desolate 
island; I saw it in the cream-colored volume — every 
where — back in childhood, in youth, now again in man- 
hood — from the first to the last, at home, abroad — wher- 
ever thought could wander, I saw that strange and won- 
drous footprint. 

In trying to get up the cliff where I could look out 
for the savages, I fancied the tuft of grass that I had 
hold of gave way, and I rolled over the precipice into 
the sea; and this was not altogether an unfounded idea, 
for I actually had worked myself off the goatskin, and 
was at that moment paddling about in a sea of mud. 
Again I fell asleep, and a great many confused visions 
were impressed upon my mind. I saw the savages down 
on the beach, going through all their infernal orgies. 




THE SAVAGE OIWIKS. 



They had seized upon my comrades, and were roasting 
them in flaming fires, and eating the fattest of them with 



12 6 CEUSOE'S ISLAND. 

great relish. The flesh of the Doubter, I thought, was 
so lean and tough that they were unable to eat if; but 
they stripped it off in long flakes, and hung it round 
their necks, and danced with it swinging about their 
bodies, as if they regarded it as the finest ornament in 
the world. His head was cut off ancLscalped, and his 
skull lay upon the ground. I thougm; Abraham had 
changed again into Friday, and I called upon him to 
look at this dreadful scene, and help me to kill these 
wretched cannibals ; but no sooner did he catch sight of 
the Doubter's skull, than he ran from me toward the 
spot, and picked it up with a horrible shout of triumph, 
and sticking his gun into it he held it in the air, and 
danced all round in a circle laughing like a devil. The 
Doubter, perceiving this in some strange way (for he 
was without a head), jumped to his feet, with his flesh- 
less bones, and ran after Abraham, making signs for his 
skull ; but Abraham only laughed the louder and danced 
the more, thrusting the skull at him as he jumped about, 
and asking him, in a sneering voice, what he thought of 
it now ? was it a dog's skull yet ? would he like to have 
it fastened on again with glue ? how had he contrived 
to keep out of the fire? were the savages afraid he 
would put it out? did his present exercise warm him? 
each of which taunting questions he ended with a wild 
laugh of derision, and a snatch of his favorite song — 
" Tinky ting tang, tinky ting tang, 
Oh, poor Robinson Crusoe !" 
This, I thought, so incensed the Doubter that he turned 
away in disgust, and walked off shaking his neck as if it 
had the head still on ; and when he was some distance 
from Abraham he sat down on the ground and slowly 
raised his right hand, placing the thumb where his nose 
would have been had the head still remained in its place, 
and then his left hand in the same way, fixing the thumb 
upon the little finger of the other, and thus he waved 
them to and fro, as if he had no confidence even in his 
own skull or in any of the circumstances connected with 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 127 

it. While this was going on, the savages continued 
their infernal dance on the beach. I now raised my gun 
and began shooting at them, killing them by scores. I 
could see their dark bodies roll over into the surf, and 
hear their yells of terror at the report of the gun ; and 
when I rushed down to save my shipmates, all I could 
see was Abraham sitting upon a rock, pounding the 
skull into small fragments with a big stone which he 
held in both hands, and the fleshless body of the Doubter 
sitting opposite to him, slowly waving the little finger 
of his left hand at him in the same incredulous and 
taunting manner as before. And thus ended the dream. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE UNPLEASANT AFFAIR OF HONOR. 

When I awoke it was daylight. My mind was still 
harassed with the bad dream concerning the Doubter. 
I had the most gloomy forebodings of some impending 
misfortune either to him or my friend Abraham. Every 
effort to shake off this unpleasant feeling proved entirely 
vain ; it still clung to me heavily ; and, although I was 
now wide awake, yet it seemed to me there was some- 
thing prophetic in the dream. Unable to get rid of the 
impression, I got up, and looked around uj)on my com- 
rades, who were all sleeping soundly after their rambles 
of the previous day. Instinctively, as it were, for I was 
unconscious of any fixed motive, I counted them. There 
were only nine! A sudden pang shot through me, as 
if my worst fears were now realized. But how? I 
thought. Where was the tenth man ? What had be- 
come of him ? Was it Abraham ? Was it the Doubter ? 
Who was it? for the light was not strong enough to 
enable me to distinguish all the faces, partly hidden, as 
they were, in the goatskins. I looked toward the door ; 
it was unbolted, and slightly ajar. I opened it wide and 



128 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

looked out; there was nothing to be seen in the gray 
light of the morning but the bushes near the hut, and 
the dark mountains in the distance. It was time, at all 
events, to be on the look-out for the ship, so I roused up 
my comrades, and eagerly noticed each one as he waked. 
The Doubter was missing ! Could it be possible that 
Abraham's threats had driven him to run away during 
the night, when all were asleep, and hide himself in the 
mountains ? There seemed to be no other way of ac- 
counting for his absence. "Where is he? what's be- 
come of him? maybe he's drowned himself!" were the 
general remarks upon discovering his absence. " Come 
on ! we must look for him ! it won't do to leave him 
ashore !" We hurried down to the boat-landing as fast 
as we could, thinking he might be there; and on our 
way saw that the ship was still in the offing. The boat 
was just as we had left it, but not a soul any where near. 
We then roused up every body in the Chilian quarter, 
shouting the name of the missing man in all directions. 
He was not there ! All this time Abraham was in the 
greatest distress, running about every where, without 
saying a word, looking under the bushes, peeping into 
every crevice in the rocks, darting in and out of the 
Chilian huts, greatly to the astonishment of the occu- 
pants, and quite breathless and dispirited when he dis- 
covered no trace of our comrade. At last, when we 
were forced to give up the search and turn toward 
Pearce's hut, where we had left our host in the act of 
lighting the fire to cook breakfast, he took me aside, and 
said, " Look here, Luff, I'm very sorry I had any diffi- 
culty with that poor fellow. The fact is, he provoked 
me to it. However, I have nothing against him now ; 
and I just wanted to tell you that I sha'n't go aboard the 
ship till I find him. If you like, you can help me to hunt 
him up, while the others are seeing about breakfast." 

"To be sure, Abraham," said I, "Ave must find him, 
dead or alive. I'll go with you, of course. But tell me, 
as we walk along, what it was Pearce said to you last 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 129 

night. How did you get him back when he went 
out ?" 

" Oh, never mind that now," replied Abraham, look- 
ing, as I thought, rather confused. 

" You gave him a dollar, didn't you ?" said I ; " what 
was that for ?" 

" Why, the fact is, Luff, he made those marks himself 
in some idle hour as he lay basking in the sun up there. 
He told me that he often spends whole days among the 
cliffs or sleeping in the caves, while his sheep ai'e graz- 
ing in the valleys. You may have noticed that he was 
rather inclined to burst when he left the hut. The fel- 
low had sense enough not to say any thing before the 
company. I thought it was worth a dollar to keep the 
thing quiet." 

" It was well worth a dollar, Abraham ; but the skull 
— what about the skull ?" 

" Oh, the skull ? He said he picked it up one day out- 
side the cave, and hove it up there, thinking it would do 
for a lamp some time or other. "What excited me so 
when our shipmate spoke about it was that he should 
call it a dog's skull." 

" And wasn't it ?" 

" Why, yes ; to tell the truth, Luff, it was the skull of 
a wild dog ; but you know one doesn't like to be told 
of such a thing. However, we must look about for the 
poor fellow, and not leave him ashore." 

By this time we had reached an elevation some dis- 
tance back of the huts. We stopped a while to listen, 
and then began shouting his name. At first we could 
hear nothing ; but at length there was a sound reached 
our ears like a distant echo, only rather muffled. 

" Halloo !" cried Abraham, as loud as he could. 

" Halloo !" was faintly echoed back, after a pause. 

" Nothing but an echo," said I. 

"It doesn't sound like my voice," observed Abraham. 
"Halloo! where are you?" he shouted again, at the 
highest pitch of his voice. There was another pause. 
F2 



130 CltUSOE'S ISLAND. 

" I'm here !" was the smothered reply. 

"That's a queer echo," said Abraham; "I'll bet a 
dollar he's underground somewhere. Halloo ! halloo ! 
Where are you?" This time Abraham put his ear to 
the ground to listen. 

" Here, I tell you !" answered the voice, in the same 
smothered tones. " Down here." 

" He's not far off," said Abraham. " Come, let us 
look about." 

We immediately set out in the direction of the voice. 
The path made a turn round a point of rocks some few 
hundred yards distant, on the right of which was a steep 
precipice. On reaching this, we walked on some dis- 
tance, till we came to a narrow pass, with a high bluff" 
on one side, and a large rock on the edge of the preci- 
pice. The path apparently came to an end here; but 
upon going a little farther, we saw that it formed a kind 
of step about three feet down, just at the beginning of 
the narrow pass, between the rock and the bluff, so that 
in making any farther progress it would be necessary to 
jump from the top of the step, or, in coming the other 
w r ay, to jump up. It was necessary for us, at least, to 
jump some way before long, for upon arriving at the 
edge we discovered a pit about four feet wide at the 
mouth, and how deep it was impossible for us to tell at 
the moment. We thought it must be rather deep, how- 
ever, from the sepulchral sounds that came out of it. 
" Here I am," said the voice, " down in the hole, here, 
if I ain't mistaken, but I wouldn't swear to it ; I may be 
somewhere else : it feels like a hole — that's all I can say 
about it, except that it's tolerably deep, and smells of 
goats." 

"A goat-trap!" exclaimed Abraham, in undisguised 
astonishment. " By heavens, Luff, he's caught in a goat- 
trap !" 

" It may be a goat-traj), or it may not. I want you to 
observe that I neither deny nor affirm the proposition. 
There's not much room in it, however, except for doubt." 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 131 

"How in the world are we to get him out?" cried 
Abraham, whose sympathies were now thoroughly 
aroused by the misfortune of his opponent. " We must 
contrive some plan to pull him out. Hold on here, Luff; 
I'll go and cut a pole." 

While Abraham was hunting about among the bushes 
for a pole of suitable length,. I sprang over to the other 
side of the pit, and, getting down on my hands and knees, 
looked into it, and perceived that it spread out toward 
the bottom, so that it was impossible to climb up with- 
out assistance. 

" This is rather a bad business," said I ; " what in- 
duced you to go down there ?" 

" I didn't come down here altogether of my own will," 
replied the Doubter ; " credulity brought me here — too 
much credulity ; taking things without sufficient proof; 
assuming a ground where no ground existed." 

" How was that ? I don't quite understand." 

" Why, you see, I happened to come along this way 
about an hour ago, to see if the sun rose in the north, 
and not dreaming of goat-traps, I took it for granted 
that I could jump down a step in the path apparently 
not more than three feet deep. There's where the mis- 
take was. A man has no business placing any depend- 
ence upon his eyes without strong collateral evidence 
from all the rest of his senses. I assumed the ground 
that there was ground at the bottom of the step. Ac- 
cordingly, I jumped. There was no ground for the as- 
sumption. To be sure I descended three feet, according 
to my original design ; but I descended at least twelve 
feet more, of which I had no intention whatever. The 
fact is, there was some rotten brushwood, covered with 
straw and clay, over the mouth of the pit, which I went 
through without the least difficulty." 

" Are you hurt ?" said I, anxiously. 

"Well, I was considerably stunned. Likely enough 
some of my ribs are broken, and several blood-vessels 
ruptured ; but I won't believe any thing more for some 



132 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

time. I've made up my mind to that. I may or may 
not be hurt, according to future proof." 

By this time Abraham came running toward the pit 
as fast as he could, with a long pole in his hand, which 
he had cut among the bushes. 

" This is the best I could get," said he, nearly breath- 
less with haste, and very much excited ; " there were 
some others, but I didn't think they were strong enough." 
Without farther delay, he sprang across the pit to the 
lower side, and thrust the pole down as far as he could 
reach. It must have struck something, for he immedi- 
ately drew it back a little, and the voice of the Doubter 
was heard to exclaim, in a high state of irritation, 

" Halloo, there ! What are you about ? Confound 
it, sir, I'm not a wild beast, to be stirred up in that 
way." 

" Never mind," said Abraham, " I didn't intend to 
hurt you. Take hold of the pole. I'll pull you out. 
Take hold of it quick, and hang on as hard as you can." 

"No, sir; it can't be done, sir. I'll not take hold of 
any thing upon an uncertainty." 

" But there's no uncertainty about this," cried Abra- 
ham, in a high state of excitement ; " it's perfectly safe. 
Take hold,! tell you." 

" Can't be done, sir, can't be done," said the Doubter ; 
" there's not sufficient proof that you'll pull me out if I 
do take hold. No, sir ; I've been deceived once, and I 
don't mean to be deceived again." 

" Now, by heavens, Luff, this is too bad. He doubts 
my honor. What are we to do ?" And Abraham 
wrung his hands in despair. "Halloo, there, I say — 
halloo !" 

" Well, what do you want ?" answered the voice of the 
Doubter. 

" I want to pull you out. Surely you don't think I'll 
be guilty of any thing so dishonorable as to take advan- 
tage of your misfortune ?" 

" I don't think at all," said the Doubter, gloomily ; 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



133 



"I've given up thinking. You may or may not be an 
honorable man. At present I have nobody's word for 
it but your own." 

Here I thought it proper to protest that I knew Abra- 
ham well ; that there was not a more honorable man liv- 
ing. " Besides," I added, " there's no other way for you 
to get out of the pit." 

" Very well, then," said the Doubter ; " I'll take hold, 
but you must take hold too, and see that he doesn't let 
go. Pull away, gentlemen !" 

Abraham and myself accordingly pulled away as hard 
as we could, and in a few moments the head of our com- 
rade appeared in the light, a short distance below the 
rim of the pit. I had barely time to notice that his hair 
was filled with straw and clay, when Abraham, in his 
eagerness to get him entirely clear of danger, made a 
sudden pull, which would certainly have accomplished 
the object had the Doubter come with the upper part 
of the pole. But such was not the case. On the con- 
trary, both my friend and myself fell flat upon our backs ; 




TUB IMJUHTElt HACK AGAIN. 



and upon jumping up, we discovered that the Doubte* 
had fallen into the pit again, carrying with him the low- 
er end of the pole, which had unfortunately broken off at 



134 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

that critical moment. There he lay in the bottom of the 
pit, writhing and groaning in the most frightful manner. 

"He's killed! he's killed!" cried Abraham, in perfect 
agony of mind. " Oh, Luff, to think that I killed him at 
last! It was all my fault. Here, quick! Lower me 
down ! I must help him !" 

Before I had time to say a word, Abraham seized hold 
of my right hand, and, directing me to hold on with all 
my might, he began to let himself down into the pit. It 
required the utmost tension of every muscle to bear his 
weight, but the excitement nerved me. " Let go, now !" 
said he, as soon as he got as far down as I could lower 
him without lowering myself, which I narrowly escaped ; 
" let go, Luff!" I did so, and keai-d a dull, heavy fall, 
and a groan louder than before. 

" What's the matter, Abraham — did you hurt your- 
self?" 

" Not myself," said Abraham, " but I'm afraid I hurt 
him. I fell on hi in." 

" You did," groaned a voice, faintly, " you fell on me. 
I'm tolerably certain of that. It was a shabby trick, 
sir ; it wasn't bad enough to throw me down here, with- 
out jumping on top of me when I couldn't defend my- 
self!" 

"I hope you're not much hurt," said Abraham; "it 
was all accident — I swear it, on my sacred honor !" 

" Honor !" groaned the Doubter, contemptuously ; " is 
it honorable to drop a man into a pit, and knock all the 
breath out of his body, and then jump on top of him! 
Honor, indeed ! But it was my own fault : I was too 
ready to take things without proof." 

" Now, by all that's human !" cried Abraham, stung to 
the quick at these unmerited reproaches, " I'll prove to 
you that I didn't mean it. Get up on my shoulders — 
here, I'll help you — and clinib out. Would any but an 
honorable man do that ?" 

" It depends upon his motives," replied the Doubter ; 
"I won't take motives on credit any more. I'm not go- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 135 

ing to got up on your shoulders, and have you jump 
from under me about the time I get hold of something 
above, and leave me to fall down and break my back, or 
hang there. No, sir, I want no farther assistance. I've 
made up my mind to spend the remainder of my days 
here." 

" You sha'ri't stay here '!" cried Abraham, exasperated 
to the last degree by these taunts. " By heavens, sir, 
you shall be assisted !" 

Here there was a struggle in the bottom of the pit ; 
the Doubter writhing like an eel all over the ground in 
his attempts to elude the grasp of Abraham ; but soon 
he was in the powerful arms of my friend, who, hold- 
ing him up, shouted lustily, " Catch hold of him, Luff! 
Catch him by the hair or the coat-collar ! Hold on to 
him, while I shove him up !" 

The writhing form of the Doubter at the same mo- 
ment loomed up in the light, and I called upon him to 
give me his hands ; but he resolutely held them down, 
protesting that he would trust no man for the future ; 
that he'd die before any body should deceive him again. 
In this extremity, driven almost frantic in my zeal for 
his safety, I grasped at the collar of his coat, and suc- 
ceeded, after some difficulty, in getting a firm hold of it. 
" All right !" I shouted ; " push away now, Abraham !" 
In spite of every exertion on Abraham's part, however, 
our unfortunate comrade rose nb higher, which I can 
only account for by the depth of the pit. "A little 
higher, Abraham — just two inches — that's it — all right !" 
It certainly was all right so far; I had drawn him partly 
over the edge, and would eventually have drawn him 
entirely over, had it not caved in, by reason of the united 
weight of both on it at the same time, and thus the mat- 
ter was prevented from being all right to any greater 
extent. The consequence of this disaster was, that we 
both fell heavily upon Abraham, who, unable to bear our 
united weight, fell himself under the Doubter, while I, 
being uppermost, formed a kind of apex to the pyramid. 



136 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

Our fall was thus broken in some measure; and, al- 
though Abraham groaned heavily under our weight, 
yet, as fortune would have it, nobody was hui't. The 
Doubter was the first who spoke. 

" I told you so !" said he, faintly ; " but you xoould try. 
You would try, in spite of all I could say, and now you 
see the consequence. It appears to me that there are 
three men caught in a goat-trap now instead of one ; but 
I'll not insist upon it ; there may be only one. My eyes 
have deceived me already, and likely as not they deceive 
me now." 

" No, they don't," said Abraham, in smothered tones ; 
" I'm quite certain there are two of you on top of me. 
Get off, if you can, for I can't breathe much longer in 
this position. You may depend upon it, there are three 
of us here." 

"I shall depend upon nothing for the future," replied' 
the Doubter, gloomily ; " I depended upon a pole just 
now, and was dropped ; I put faith in that pole, and both 
the faith and the pole were broken at the same time, and 
my back too nearly, if not quite broken." 

" But I'm not a pole," groaned Abraham, " you may 
depend upon that. Get off now, do, for heaven's sake." 

"You don't feel like a pole," said the Doubter, "but 
you may be one, for all I know ; the#e's no telling what 
you are. However, I'll get off, lest you should break 
likewise." 

I had already relieved Abraham of my weight ; and 
being now entirely free, he got up, and we began to con- 
sider how we were to get out of the pit. 

As good luck would have it, we heard some voices ap- 
proaching, which we soon discovered to be a couple of 
Chilians, to whom the trap belonged, coming thus early 
in the morning to see if it had caught any goats. When 
they looked over and saw the earth broken in, they were 
greatly rejoiced ; but no sooner did they perceive that 
the game consisted of three full-grown men, than they 
ran away as fast as they could, shouting " Diabolo ! 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 137 

Diabolo /" Abraham, who had been studying Spanish 
during the voyage, understood Sufficient of the language 
to call out " Americanos ! Americanos ! no Diabolo ! 
Per amove Deos, viend qui ! Amigos ! amigos ! no 
Diabolo /" This caused them to halt ; and upon its be- 
ing repeated a great many times, they ventured to the 
edge of the pit, where Abraham gave them every assur- 
ance that we were three unfortunate Americans, who had 
fallen into the trap by accident, and that we were in no 
way related to the devil. Upon this, they took a coil of 
rope, which they had for pulling up goats, and making a 
noose on one end, they let it down. The first man that 
.was fastened on was the Doubter. It required the uni- 
ted efforts of Abraham and myself to get him into the 
noose ; but we eventually had the pleasure of seeing him 
go up through the hole without farther accident. I then 
yielded reluctantly to Abraham, who insisted, as a point 
of honor, that he should be the last man. Being light, I 
was whirled out in a twinkling ; and, finally, through 
this providential turn of affairs, we were all safely landed 
outside of the pit. The two Chilians, unable to divine 
the causes which had led to this singular state of things, 
looked on as if still half afraid that they had pulled some 
very bad characters out of the ground, muttering, as we 
shook the dirt off our clothes, " Madve cle Deos ! Santa 
Maria I Padre bonita /" I considered this a fitting 
opportunity, in view of the happy issue of the disaster, 
to effect a full and complete reconciliation between Abra- 
ham and the Doubter, and therefore proposed that they 
should shake hands on the spot, and forego all future 
hostilities. My friend immediately held out his hand in 
the frankest manner ; the Doubter hesitated a moment, 
as if afraid that it might result in his being pulled back 
again into the pit ; but, unable any longer to resist the 
hearty sincerity of his opponent, he gave his hand, and 
suffered it to be shaken ; and so rejoiced was Abraham 
in finding every thing was thus happily settled, that he 
shook on with all his force for at least five minutes, dur- 



138 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

ing which the two Chilians, knowing no good reason 
Avhy a pair of strange gentlemen, just pulled out of a 
goat-trap, should stand shaking hands with one another, 
exhibited the utmost surprise and consternation, exclaim- 
ing, as before, " Madre de Deos ! Santa Maria ! Pa- 
dre bonita /" 

We contrived to make up the sum of a dollar between 
us, which Ave gave to the men, telling them, at the same 
time, that they need not mention this matter, should they 
see any of our companions before we left the island. We 
then started for Pearce's hut, which we soon reached. 
The rest of the party had finished breakfast, and were 
waiting fo» us at the boat-landing. They had left direc- 
tions with Pearce that we were to follow without delay, 
with or without the missing man, as the ship had made 
a signal for us to come aboard. While the Doubter and 
myself were making a hasty snack, Abraham took a piece 
of bread and meat, and started off to let our friends know 
that we had found the missing man, and would soon be 
down. In a few minutes we concluded our snack, and 
were about leaving the cabin, when Pearce said he reck- 
oned some of us had left a bundle, which he had found 
in the corner. The bundle consisted of a handkerchief 
tied up, with something in it, which I quickly discovered 
to be the relic we had found in Crusoe's Cave. 

" Where did you get that ?" said Pearce. 

" We dug it up in Crusoe's Cave ; it was made by 
Alexander Selkirk." 

" No it wasn't ; it was made by me. I lived there a 
while when I first came on the island, and made it my- 
self. I know the mark. I made it about a year and a 
half ago." 

" But how is that ?" said I, greatly astonished ; " it 
looks to be over a century and a half old." 

"It wasn't baked enough," said Pearce; "that's the 
reason it didn't keep well. The name's broke off, but 
there's part of what I writ on it." 

" Impossible !" said I. " Don't you see ' A S 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 139 

170-?' What can that be but Alexander Selkirk, 1704, 
which was just the time he lived here 1" 

" No, 'taint ; Alexander Selkirk never made that 'ere. 
I made it myself. I put my name on it ; but the name's 
broke off. I writ, l A Saucepan maid by W. Pearce, 17 
Oct? That's all. 'Taint no use to me now ; you may 
take it, ef you want to." 

I took it without saying another word ; tied it up 
again in the handkerchief, and asked Pearce if he was 
going down with us to the boat-landing. He said he 
would be down there presently. So, without farther de- 
lay, we set out to join our companions. As we walked 
rapidly along the path, my shipmate suffered strange 
sounds to escape from his throat, indicative of his feel- 
ings. Suddenly he stopped, as if unable to restrain him- 
self any longer. 

" Where are you going ?" said he. 

" Going aboard, to be sure ; come on, they're waiting 
for us." 

" You are, eh ? going aboard, eh ? Well, any thing to 
humor the idea. It sounds very like reality, indeed — 
very." 

"And why shouldn't it?" said I. 

" Of course, why shouldn't it ? Look here, Luff, you're 
rather a clever sort of fellow." 

" Do you think so ?" said I, a little embarrassed at so 
abrupt an opinion in my favor. 

" Yes, I do," said the Doubter ; " I always did. Will 
you just have the goodness to look into my mouth (open- 
ing it at the same time as wide as he could). Now, just 
cast your eyes into this cavity." 

I did as he desired me, thinking perhaps the poor fel- 
low was suffering from his fall into the goat-pit. 

" Well," said I, " there's nothing there, so far as I can 
see, except a piece of tobacco. Your tongue looks bad- 

ly." 

" It does, eh ? No matter about that. This is what 
I want you to notice : that I have a tolerably big swal- 



140 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 




^^wtV.-" 



SWALLOWING AN ISLAND. 



lowing apparatus, but I'm not the style of man that's cal- 
culated to swallow" an entire island. Possibly I might 
get down a piece of a skull, or an old saucepan, with a 
grain of salt ; but I can't swallow Juan Fei'nandez, with 
Robinson Crusoe and Alexander Selkirk — two of the big- 
gest liars that ever existed, on top of it. No, sir, it can't 
be done." 

I thought myself that he was not a person likely to 
accomplish a feat of that kind, for his throat was not un- 
commonly large, and his digestive organs appeared to be 
weakly. 

" No, I shouldn't think so," said I. " You don't look 
like a man that could swallow so much." 

" Very well, then ; I'm willing to humor the idea. I'll 
imagine we're going aboard from Juan Fernandez, if 
you like. But the island doesn't exist ! No, sir ; it reads 
very well on paper ; it's a very romantic place, no doubt 
— if any body could find it ; a very pleasant spot for a 
small tea-party between a pair of wandering vagabonds ; 
but it doesn't exist any where else but on the maps. 
Don't you ever try, Luff, to make me. believe that any 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 141 

of these things which we imagine to have occurred with- 
in the past three days have the slightest foundation in 
fact." 

I was not prepared to go to the full extent of denying 
the entire existence of the island ; but, I must confess, 
there was a good deal in our experiences of the past 
three days calculated to inspire doubt ; so much, indeed, 
that I hardly knew what to believe myself. Even now, 
after the lapse of four years, and the frequent repetition 
of all these adventures to my friends, which has given 
something more of reality to the doubtful points, I would 
hardly be willing to swear to more than the general out- 
line ; nor am I quite certain that even the main incidents 
would stand cross-examination in a Court of Doubters. 
Such, reader, is the deceptive nature of appearances ! 

While we were talking, Pearce overtook us with a bun- 
dle of goatskins which we had bargained for the night 
before, and we all went down to the boat-landing togeth- 
er. There we found our shipmates all ready to start. 
The Anteus was lyiug-to about eight or ten miles off, 
outside the harbor ; and the sea being rather rough, we 
thought it best to agree with Pearce for some seats in 
his boat, and hire a couple of the Chilians to help us at 
the oars. In this way, having stored all our relics in the 
bow of the boat except the earthen pot, which we had 
the misfortune to drop overboard, we set out for the 
ship, bidding a general good-by to Juan Fernandez and 
all its romantic vales with three hearty cheers. A few 
heavy seas broke over us when we got outside the har- 
bor ; and we saw the Brooklyn weighing anchor and pre- 
paring to stand out to sea, and a small brig that we had 
met in Rio beating in ; but, with the exception of these 
little incidents, nothing occurred worth mentioning till 
we arrived alongside the Anteus. The captain and all 
the passengers received us in silence; not a word was 
spoken by any body ; no sign of rejoicing or recognition 
whatever took place as we stepped on board. We 
thought it rather a cool termination to our adventures, 



142 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

and could only account for it by supposing that this was 
the way people thought to be dead and buried are usu- 
ally treated when they come unexpectedly to life again 
after a great deal of grief has been wasted upon them. 
Nor were we wrong in our conjectures ; for in about five 
minutes our friends on board, including the kind-hearted 
captain, finding themselves entirely unable to keep up 
such a state of displeasure, crowded around us in differ- 
ent parts of the ship, and began shaking hands with us 
privately, and asking us a thousand questions about Juan 
Fernandez and Robinson Crusoe. We introduced our 
worthy host as the real Crusoe of the island, and brought 
both him and the Chilians down into the cabin, where we 
gave them as much as they could eat, besides honorably 
acquitting ourselves of our indebtedness by paying our 
friend Pearce all the ham and bread we had promised 
him, and loading him with sundry presents of clothing 
and groceries. The captain then ordered the yards to 
be braced ; the boat swung off as we began to plow our 
way once more toward the Golden Laud, and before 
noon the island was blue in the distance. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

DOCTOR STILLMAN'S JOURNAL. 

I have been kindly permitted to select the following 
from the private journal of Dr. J. D. B. Stillman, of New 
York, an intelligent fellow-passenger on the Anteus. It 
will give some idea of the state of feeling on board dur- 
ing our absence. 

"Sunday, May 20th. Eleven passengers left the vessel 
yesterday in a small boat, with the intention of going 
ashore on the island of Juan Fernandez for fruit and fresh 
provisions. At first they made but little progress ahead 
of the ship, but the wind soon fell away entirely, and 
about noon the boat could not be seen from the mast- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 143 

head. Another party of eight passengers prepared to 
start about two o'clock this morning. The captain, how- 
ever, was so uneasy at the absence of the other boat, that 
he refused liberty. Lights were kept buruing in the rig- 
ging during the night. Toward morning a breeze sprung 
up. Short sail was carried for fear the boat should at- 
tempt to reach us and miss her way. At sunrise it was 
again calm. The islands loomed higher, but nothing 
could be distinguished. At 11 A.M. a stiff breeze sprang 
up from the direction of Masatierra, and the day was 
spent in beating to windward, and straining our eyes in 
the hope of discerning some traces of our lost comrades. 
The wind continued to freshen all day. At 8 P.M. the 
sea was quite rough. No light could be seen on the 
shore. The captain, who is well acquainted with the isl- 
and, says if they attempted to land on the south side 
they would be inevitably swamped, and some or all lost, 
as the shore is rock-bound, and the only safe landing is 
on the north side, fifteen miles farther on. The proba- 
bility is that they were too much exhausted to attempt 
landing, and night would have fallen before they could 
have reached the. land at any rate. I am confident in the 
opinion that they are on the north side of the island, and 
that they lay all last night on their oars, and landed this 
morning, too much exhausted to attempt returning the 
same day. I have great confidence in some of the com- 
pany ; but to-night gloom is general, and a fearful pre- 
sentiment seems to rest upon the minds of all that we 
shall soon have to record a melancholy casualty. 

"Monday, 21st. The wind this morning is blowing 
very fresh. We have been all day beating nearer the 
island. Objects are quite distinct on the south shore. 
It is very high and nearly barren. Indeed, so steep are 
the lofty mountain sides that there does not appear to 
be soil enough adhering to the rocks to support a spire 
of grass, except near the summits, which are over a thou- 
sand feet in height where they rise near the water ; and 
every where, so far as we can see, the shore is rock-bound, 



144 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

upon which the surf beats fearfully. They could not be 
so wild as to attempt landing on this side. To-night the 
wind blows a gale, and we shall be compelled to await a 
change before we attempt the windward side. Hopes 
are getting faint. The distress of those who are most 
interested in the parties is great. Some of our best men 
were of the company. In fact, it is a question which has 
absorbed all others, What has become of the boat ? To- 
night I have rather congratulated myself that I did not 
go. To add to our perplexity, the air is becoming thick, 
and rain is coming on. The clouds hang heavy and dark 
over the mountains. At nightfall the wind suddenly 
changes to S.W. The ship is put about, and run for the 
north side of the island. 

"May 22d. While I was writing last night, a loud 
shout called us all in great haste on deck. A light had 
been discovered on the shore, and hearty cheers ex- 
pressed the deep anxiety of all, now in a great measure 
relieved. There was no doubt that they had reached 
the shore, and that some of the number were surviving. 
I felt assured that all was right. Signals were set from 
the rigging, and the vessel lay to during the night. At 
dawn of day we were twenty miles distant from the isl- 
and. Made all sail and stood in for the harbor. As we 
neared the shore, discovered a large ship at anchor, and 
a brig rounding the western point. Soon after, we dis- 
tinguished the tiny sail of our lost boat making for the 
ship. The captain, in order to show a proper resentment 
for the disobedience of orders, directed that no demon- 
strations of joy should be made ; and, as they came 
alongside, they were received in silence." 

The shades of evening were gathering upon the hori- 
zon. A murmur of life arose from the decks, but it fell 
unheeded upon my ear. For now, and for many days 
and nights in our dreary voyage, there was no life for 
me but in the past. I felt that my happiest hours were 
there. 

Once more I turned to look upon the dim island that 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



145 



was fading away in the south. A steady breeze wafted 
us onward; the sun's last rays yet lingered in the sky; 
twilight hung upon the ocean, and its gentle spirit 

" Rendered birth 
To dim enchantments — melting heaven to earth — 
Leaving on craggy hills and running streams 
A softness like the atmosphere of dreams." 




DREAMS AND REALITIES. 



And was this the last of the island-world ? was it to 
be in future years a mere dream of the past ? was I never 
more to behold its wild grottoes and green valleys ? was 
all the romance of life to fade away with it in the twi- 
light ? was it, like the cream-colored volume, to reveal 
enchantments that henceforth could dwell only in the 
memory ? 

Fresh, and fair, and wondrous it was in its romantic 
beauty when the mists were scattered away, and I beheld 
it for the first time in the glowing light of morning, with 
the white sea-foam sparkling on its shores, and the birds 
singing in its groves. How rich the air was with sweet 
odors ; how varied and changing the colors upon the hill- 
sides ; how softly steeped in shadows were its glens and 
woodland slopes — what a world of romance w r as there ! 

I had pressed its sod with my feet; reveled in its 
streams ; lived again my early life in its pleasant valleys ; 
passed some happy hours there with friends from whom 
I soon must part ; and now, what was it ? A dim cloud 

G 



146 



CEUSOE'S ISLAND. 



on the horizon, sinking in the sea, fading away in the 
shadows of night. 

I looked again ; faintly and more faintly still its 
mountains loomed above the deep. Weary with gazing, 
I closed my eyes, and for a moment I saw it again ; but 
it was only in fancy. I looked — and it had passed away ! 
Was it forever ? 

"And now the light of many stars 
Quivered in tremulous softness on the air." 

Yet not forever is it lost to me ; for often in the busy 
world I pause and think of that dream-land in the far-off 
seas, and it rises before me as I saw it in the morning- 
sun, all rich and strange in its beauty ; and again I wan- 
der through its romantic vales, and again it brings back 
pleasant memories of the cream-colored volume ; and as 
I look once more, startled from my reverie by the hum 
of life, it fades away as it faded then in the shadows of 
night, but not forever. Though I never more may be- 
hold it with mortal eyes, yet I see it where distance can 
not dim the sight : it hath not passed away forever. 




PEAK OP TONKA. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 147 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

CONFIDENTIAL CHAT WITH THE READER. 

Now that we have finished our ramble together, and 
formed something of a speaking acquaintance, I hope, 
my dear reader, that you will not take it amiss if I hold 
you a moment by the button, and say a word in confi- 
dence. It has been so long the custom of adventurers 
to speak now and then about themselves, that I assume 
the privilege without farther apology. If I have been 
so fortunate as to inspire you with a friendly interest in 
my behalf during our pleasant wanderings in the foot- 
steps of Robinson Crusoe, I am sure you will be glad to 
learn that it has always been my greatest ambition to 
prove myself a worthy disciple of that distinguished ad- 
venturer. In this view I have, as you may have noticed, 
adhered to simple facts, and carefully avoided every thing 
that might be regarded in the light of fiction, though the 
temptation to indulge in occasional touches of romance 
was very difficult to resist. Indeed, so thoroughly have 
I striven to become imbued with the true spirit of Cru- 
soeism, that much which I thought at first a little doubt- 
ful myself, now seems quite authentic ; and I think, upon 
the whole, you may rely upon the truthfulness of my 
narrative. That I was near being lost in an open boat, 
with ten others, in trying to get ashore on the island of 
Juan Fernandez, I conscientiously believe ; that we did 
get ashore, and sleep in caves and straw huts, and climb 
wonderful mountains, and explore enchanting valleys, I 
will insist upon to the latest hour of my life ; that I have 
endeavored faithfully to describe the island as it appear- 
ed to me, and to give a true and reliable account of its 
psesent condition, climate, topography, and scenery, I af- 
firm on the honor and veracity of a traveler ; that in 



148 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



every essential particular it has been my aim to present 
a faithful picture of life in that remote little world, I will 
swear to on the best edition of Robinson Crusoe : more 
than that it would be unreasonable to expect. If, how- 




ever, after this candid avowal, you still insist upon hav- 
ing a distinct and emphatic declaration in regard to any 
doubtful point, all I can say is, that, like the man who. 



CKUSOE'S ISLAND. 



149 



made a statement concerning the height of a certain 
horse, I am ready at all hazards to stick to whatever I 
said. If I spoke of a mountain as three thousand miles 
high instead of three thousand feet, why, in the name of 
peace, let it be three thousand miles ; if I killed any sav- 




ages, I am sorry for it, but they must remain dead — it is 
impossible to bring them to life now; if I put some of 
my own ideas into the heads of others, it must have been 
because I thought them better adapted to the subject 
than what those heads contained already, and I hold 
myself responsible for them ; if at any time I imagined 
myself to be the original and genuine Crusoe, with a 
man in my service called Friday, I still adhere to it that 
no Crusoe more certain than he was himself ever existed 
upon that island ; if, in short, there is any one point upon 
which I have hazarded the reputation of a veracious 
chronicler of actual events, or a faithful delineator of 
strange scenes in nature, I hereby declare that I shall 
most cheerfully return to Juan Fernandez in an open boat 
with any ten readers who desire to test the matter by oc- 
ular demonstration, and thus convince the most skeptic- 
al that I have not made a single unfounded assertion. 
And now, in the hope that we may meet again, I wish 



150 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



to leave you a trifling souvenir by which to bear me in 
mind. 

One of the sailors on board the Anteus was kind 
enough to make me a suit of clothes out of the goatskins 
that I bought of Pearce. He made them according to 
a pattern of my own, which I intend some day or other 
to introduce in the fashionable circles. I stowed them 
carefully away in my berth, but the rats took such a fan- 
cy to them that, by the time I reached California, there 
was nothing left but the tail of one goat upon which to 
hang a portrait ; and I regret to say the accompanying 
sketch, taken from memory, affords but an imperfect 
conception of the suit as I originally appeared in it. I 
trust the apparent egotism of smuggling my likeness into 
print in a suit of goatskins, on the pretext of exhibiting 
the suit itself, will be excused by the absolute necessity 
of filling it up with something. At the same time, I 
must be permitted to observe that the stiffness is in the 
material, and not in the person of the author. 




THE AUTHOR A I,A ROBINSON CRUSOE. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 151 



CHAPTER XXV. 

EAELY VOYAGES TO JUAN FERNANDEZ. 

The group known as Juan Fernandez consists of two 
chief and several smaller islands, situated in the Pacific 
Ocean, about four hundred miles from the coast of Chili, 
in latitude 33° 40' south, longitude 70° west. These isl- 
ands were discovered in 1563 by Juan Fernando, a Span- 
ish navigator, whose name they bear. The largest — ly- 
ing nearest to the main land — is that which is commonly 
known by the name of the discoverer ; it is also called 
Masatierra. The length of this island is about twelve 
miles, the breadth six or seven. Ninety miles west is 
the island of Masafuero, so named to distinguish it from 
Masatierra. Both are composed of lofty mountains ; the 
harbors are small and unsafe, and the shores, for the 
most part, are rock-bound. The northern aspect, facing 
toward the equator, is slightly wooded, and the valleys 
are fertile ; but the southern side, toward Cape Horn, is 
entirely barren. There are two or three large rocks 
included in the group, the chief of which, lying at the • 
southern extremity of Masatierra, is called Goat Island, 
from the great number of goats found there. 

According to the early navigators, it would appear 
that these islands must have been visited by the Indians 
of South America long before their discovery by Juan 
Fernando, but it was probably only for the purpose of 
fishing and catching seals. 

The first attempt to form a regular settlement was 
made by Fernando himself, who, elated by his discovery, 
and the prospect of colonizing the island, endeavored to 
obtain a patent from the government at Lima. Failing 
to receive encouragement from the government, he re- 
solved upon forming a settlement himself; and he visited 



152 CEUSOE'S ISLAND. 

the island soon after, taking with him some families, with 
whom he resided there a short time. A few goats, which 
they carried with them from Lima, speedily stocked the 
island ; and this is probably the origin of these animals 
in Juan Fernandez, as no mention is made of their having 
existed there before. Eventually the colony was broken 
up by the superior inducements held out to settlers in 
Chili, which at this time fell under the dominion of the 
Spaniards ; and the Spanish authorities of Lima still re- 
fusing to grant a patent to Fernando, he was forced to 
abandon all hope of forming another and more permanent 
settlement. 

For many years subsequently this group was the resort 
of pirates and buccaneers, who found it convenient, in 
their cruising in the South Pacific, to touch there for 
wood and water. 

Captain Tasman, a Dutch navigator, sailed from Bata- 
via in 1642, and visited Juan Fernandez in 1643. A 
translation of his narrative, in Pinkerton's Collection, 
contains an entertaining account of the island at that 
period. He dwells enthusiastically upon the advantages 
of its position, the salubrity of the climate, the fertility 
of the soil, and strongly urges upon the Dutch East India 
Company the policy of forming a settlement there, as a 
• depot for their commerce in the Pacific. 

Alonzo de Ovalle, a native of Chili, gives, in his His- 
torical Relajion of the Kingdom of Chili, printed at Rome 
in 1649, a/very entertaining account of what he says he 
" found/writ about these islands, in Theodore and John 
de Bry, in their relation of the voyage of John Scutten." 

Ringrose, in his account of the voyages of Captain 
Shai'pe and other buccaneers, mentions that a vessel was 
cast away here, from which only one man out of the 
whole ship's company escaped ; and that this man lived 
five years alone upon this island, before he had any op- 
portunity of getting away in another vessel. 

Captain Watlin was chased from Juan Fernandez in 
1681 by three Spanish ships. He left on the island a 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 153 

Musquito Indian, who was out hunting for goats when 
the alarm was given, and was unable to reach the shore 
before the ship got under way and put to sea. This In- 
dian, according to Dampier, whose nai - rative I quote, 
" had with him his gun and a knife, with a small horn 
of powder, and a few shot, which being spent, he con- 
trived a way, by notching his knife, to saw the barrel of 
his gun into small pieces, wherewith he made harpoons, 
lances, hooks, and a long knife, heating the pieces first in 
the fire, which he struck with his gun-flint, and a piece 
of the barrel of his gun, which he hardened^ having 
learned to do that among the English." With such rude 
instruments as he made in that manner, he procured an 
abundant supply of provisions, chiefly goats and fish. In 
1684, three years after, when Dampier again visited the 
island, they put out a canoe from the vessel, and went 
ashore to look for the Musquito man. When they saw 
him, " he had no clothes left, having worn out those he 
brought from Watlin's ship, but only a skin about his 
waist." The scene that ensued is quaintly and touch- 
ingly described in the simple language of the narrative. 
" He saw our ship the day before we came to an anchor," 
says Dampier, " and did believe we were English, and 
therefore killed two goats in the morning before we came 
to an anchor, and dressed them with cabbage, to treat 
us when we came ashore. He came then to the sea-side 
to congratulate our safe arrival. And when we landed, 
a Musquito Indian, named Robin, first leaped ashore, 
and, running to his brother Musquito man, threw him- 
self flat on his face at his feet, who, helping him up and 
embracing him, fell flat on his face on the ground at 
Robin's feet, and was by him taken up also. We stood 
with pleasure," continues the famous buccaneer, " to be- 
hold the surprise, and tenderness, and solemnity of this 
interview, which was exceedingly affectionate on both 
sides ; and when their ceremonies of civility were over, 
we also that stood gazing at them drew near, each of us 
embracing him we bad found here, who was overjovod 

<; •_• 



154 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

to see so many of his old friends, come hither, as he 
thought, purposely to fetch him." 

Five Englishmen were left on the island at another 
time by Captain Davis. After the vessel had sailed, 
they were attacked by a large body of Spaniards, who 
landed in one of the bays ; but, in consequence of the fa- 
cilities for defense afforded by the cliffs, they were ena- 
bled successfully to maintain their position, although one 
of the party deserted and joined the Spaniards. They 
were afterward taken away by Captain Strong, of Lon- 
don. 

Captain Woodes Rodgers, commander of the Duke 
and Duchess, privateers belonging 'to Bristol, visited 
Juan Fernandez in February, 1709. The original, and 
perhaps the most authentic account of the adventures 
of Alexander Selkirk is contained in a very curious and 
entertaining narrative of the voyage, written by Captain 
Rodgers himself, from which it appears that when the 
ships came near the land, a light was discovered, which 
it was thought must be on board of a ship at anchor. 
Two French vessels had been cruising in search of Cap- 
tain Rodgers's vessel, and these vessels they supposed to 
be lying in wait for them close to the shore. The boats 
which had started for the shore returned, and prepara- 
tions were made for action. On the following day, see- 
ing no vessel there, they went ashore, where they found 
a man clothed in goatskins, looking, as the narrative 
says, " wilder than the first owners of them." He had 
been on the island four years and four months. His 
name was Alexander Selkirk, a Scotchman, who had been 
master of the Cinque Ports. Having quarreled with 
Captain Stradling, under whose command he sailed, he 
was left ashore at his own request, preferring solitude 
on an unknown island to the life he led on board this 
vessel. Before the boat that put him ashore left the 
beach, he repented of his resolution, and begged to be 
taken back^again; but his companions cruelly mocked 
him, and left him to his fate. It was he that made the 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 155 

fire which had attracted the attention of the two priva- 
teers. They took him on board, and, being a good offi- 
cer, well recommended by Captain Dampier, he was ap- 
pointed mate on board Captain Rodgers's vessel, and 
taken to England. The account of his adventures dur- 
ing his long residence on the island is supposed to have 
formed the foundation of Robinson Crusoe, the most 
popular romance ever published in any language. A 
brief but very curious and graphic narrative of his adven- 
tures was published in London, soon after his arrival in 
England, under the quaint title of " Providence display- 
ed ; or a very surprising Account of one Mr. Alexander 
Selkirk, Master of a Merchant Man called The Cinque 
Ports • who, dreaming that the Ship would soon after be 
lost, he desired to be left on a desolate Island in the 
South Seas, where he lived Four Years and Four Months 
without seeing the Face of Man, the ship being after- 
ward cast away as he dreamed. As also, How he came 
afterward to be miraculously preserved and redeemed 
from that fatal Place by two Bristol Privateers, called 
the Duke and Duchess, that took the rich Acapulco Ship, 
worth one hundred Ton of Gold, and brought it to Eng- 
land. To which is added, An Account of his Birth and 
Education. His desci'iption of the Island where he was 
cast; how he subsisted; the several strange things he 
saw ; and how he used to spend his Time. With some 
pious Ejaculations that he used during his melancholy 
Residence there. Written by his own Hand, and attest- 
ed by most of the eminent Merchants upon the Royal 
Exchange" Quarto, containing twelve pages. 

Lord Anson visited this island in 1*741 for the purpose 
of recruiting his ships, after a succession of melancholy 
disasters in their passage round Cape Horn. An accu- 
rate topographical survey, and a full and most reliable 
description of Juan Fernandez, may be found in the nar- 
rative of that expedition, compiled from Lord Anson's 
papers, and other materials, by Richard Walter, chap- 
lain of the Centurion. The stvlo of this delightful nar- 



156 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

rative is admirable for its simplicity ; and the informa- 
tion with which it abounds in regard to the topography, 
climate, and productions of the island, is perhaps the 
most authentic of the time. 

In 1*743 Ulloa visited this group. He gives, among 
many interesting facts, a curious relation of the origin 
of the dogs which abound there. " We saw many dogs," 
he says, " of different species, particularly of the grey- 
hound kind ; and also a great number of goats, which it 
is very difficult to come at, artfully keeping themselves 
among those crags and precipices, where no other animal 
but themselves can live. The dogs owe their origin to 
a colony sent thither, not many years ago, by the Presi- 
dent of Chili and the Viceroy of Peru, in order totally to 
exterminate the goats, that any pirates or ships of the 
enemy might not here be furnished with provisions. 
But this scheme has proved ineffectual, the dogs being 
incapable of pursuing them among the fastnesses where 
they live, these animals leaping from one rock to another 
with surprising agility." 

Don George Juan touched at Juan Fernandez in 1744, 
and made several observations of its latitude. 

Don Joseph Pizarro gives, in his narrative of his voy- 
ages, an account of a visit a few years later. 

In 1750 the Spanish government founded a settlement 
on the principal island, and built a fort for the protection 
of the harbor. In the following year both the fort and 
the town were destroyed by a violent earthquake. They 
were afterward rebuilt farther from the shore, and were 
in good order and inhabited in 1767, when Carteret vis- 
ited the island. Soon after the settlement was broken 
up, and the town and the fortifications were abandoned. 

The Chilian government established a penal colony on 
the same spot in 1819, which, according to some author- 
ities, was discontinued, after repeated efforts to maintain 
it, on account of its expense ; accordiug to others, in 
consequence of a terrible earthquake, by which the 
houses and fortifications were destroyed. 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



157 




CillLIE^VNE. 



When Lord Cochrane visited the island in 1823, as it 
appears from a synopsis of Ho wel's Life of Selkirk, there 
were but four men stationed on it, apparently in charge 
of some cattle. A lady who accompanied Lord Coch- 
rane gives the following description of its condition and 
appearance at that time : " The island is the most pictur- 
esque I ever saw, being composed of high perpendicular 
rocks, wooded nearly to the top, with beautiful valleys, 
exceedingly fertile, and watered by copious streams, 
which occasionally form small marshes. The little val- 
ley where the town is, or rather was, is exceedingly 
beautiful. It is full of fruit-trees and flowers, and sweet 
herbs, now grown wild; near the shore it is covered 
with radish and sea-side oats. A small fort was situated 
on the sea-shore, of which there is nothing now visible 
but the ditches and part of one wall. Another, of con- 
siderable size for the place, is on a high and command- 
ing spot. It contained barracks for soldiers, which, as 
well as the greater part of the fort, are ruined : l>ut the 



158 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

flag-staff, front wall, and a turret are still standing ; and 
at the foot of the flag-staff lies a very handsome brass 
gun, cast in Spain A. D. 1614. A few houses and cot- 
tages are still in a tolerable condition, though most of 
the doors, windows, and roofs have been taken away, or 
used as fuel by whalers and other ships touching here. 
In the valleys we found numbers of European shrubs 
and herbs — ' where once the garden smiled.' And in 
the half-ruined hedges, which denote the boundaries of 
former fields, we found apple, pear, and quince trees, with 
cherries almost ripe. The ascent is steep and rapid from 
the beach, even in the valleys, and the long grass was 
dry and slippery, so that it rendered the walk rather fa- 
tiguing; and we were glad to sit down under a large 
quince-tree, on a carpet of balm bordered with roses, 
now neglected, and feast our eyes on the lovely view be- 
fore us. Lord Anson has not exaggerated the beauty 
of the place or the delights of the climate. We were 
rather early for its fruits, but even at this time we have 
gathered delicious figs, cherries, and pears, that a few 
days of sun would have perfected. The landing-place is 
also the watering-place. There a little jetty is thrown 
out, formed of the beach-pebbles, making a little harbor 
for boats, which lie there close to the fresh water, which 
comes conducted by a pipe, so that, with a hose, the 
casks may be filled without landing with the most deli- 
cious water. Along the beach some old guns are sunk, 
to serve as moorings for vessels, which are the safer the 
nearer in shore they lie, as violent gusts of wind often 
blow from the mountain for a few minutes. The height 
of the island is about three thousand feet." 

" With all its beauties and resources," adds the biog- 
rapher of Selkirk, " the island seemed destined never to 
retain those who settled on it ; whether from its isolated 
position, at so great a distance from the continent, or 
from some other cause, is uncertain. Not long after 
Lord Cochran e's visit, however, it received an accession 
of inhabitants, some of them English, who settled in it 
under the protection of the Chilian government." 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 159 

These islands (Masafuero and Masatierra) have been 
convulsed by several of those destructive earthquakes 
which prevail to such an alarming extent on the western 
coast of South America. In 1*751 and 1835 the destruc- 
tion was unusually great. The earthquake of 1835 was 
attended by some remarkable phenomena. An eruption 
burst from the sea, about a mile from the land, where 
the water was from fifty to eighty fathoms deep. Smoke 
and water were ejected during the day, and flames were 
seen at night. 

Mr. Richard H. Dana, Jun., who visited Juan Fernan- 
dez in November, 1835, on his voyage to California, 
gives, in his admirable narrative (Two Years before the 
Mast), the following graphic account of its condition at 
that period : " I was called on deck to stand my watch 
at about three in the morning, and I shall never forget 
the peculiar sensation which I experienced on finding 
myself once more surrounded by land, feeling the night- 
breeze coming from off" shore, and hearing the frogs and 
crickets. The mountains seemed almost to hang over 
us, and, apparently from the very heart of them, there 
came out, at regular intervals, a loud echoing sound, 
which affected me as hardly human. We saw no lights, 
and could hardly account for the sound, until the mate, 
who had been there before, told us that it was the 
'Alerta' of the Spanish soldiers, who were stationed 
over some convicts, confined in caves nearly half way up 
the mountain. At the expiration of my watch I went 
below, feeling not a little anxious for the day, that I 
might see more nearly, and perhaps tread upon, this ro- 
mantic, I may almost say classic island. When all hands 
were called it was nearly sunrise, and between that time 
and breakfast, although quite busy on board in getting 
up water-casks, etc., I had a good view of the objects 
about me. The harbor was nearly land-locked, and at 
the head of it was a landing-place protected by a small 
breakwater of stones, upon which two large boats were 
hauled up, with a sentry standing over them. Near this 



160 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

was a variety of huts or cottages, nearly a hundred in 
number, the best of them built of mud and whitewashed, 
but the greater part only Robinson Crusoe-like — of posts 
and branches of trees. The governor's house, as it is 
called, was the most conspicuous, being large, with 
grated windows, plastered walls, and roof of red tiles, yet, 
like all the rest, of only one story. Near it was a small 
chapel, distinguished by a cross ; and a long, low, brown- 
looking building, surrounded by something like a pali- 
sade, from which an old and dingy-looking Chilian flag 
was flying. This, of course, was distinguished by the 
title of Presidio. A sentinel was stationed at the chap- 
el, another at the governor's house, and a few soldiers, 
armed with bayonets, looking rather ragged, with shoes 
out at the toes, were sti'olling about among the houses, 
or waiting at the landing-place for our boat to come 
ashore." 

Not long after Mr. Dana's visit this settlement was 
entirely broken up. The houses and fortifications were 
destroyed by an earthquake, and the penal establishment 
was discontinued. 

From time to time, up to the present date, there have 
been straggling settlers on this island, but there has been 
no attempt since 1835 to colonize it permanently until 
recently. It has been occasionally visited by vessels of 
different nations for supplies of wood and water, and 
such vegetable productions as the valleys afford. Amer- 
ican whalers have found it a very convenient stopping- 
place in their cruisings on the coast of Chili and Peru ; 
but of late years, the whales becoming scarce in these 
seas, they are forced to push their voyages into more re- 
mote regions. Many still touch there, however, on their 
way to and from the northern coast. 

At the time of the writer's visit to Juan Fernandez 
(May, 1849), the gold excitement had but recently bro- 
ken out, and vessels bound to California had just com- 
menced making it a place of resort for refreshments in 
their outward voyages. Since that period, it is stated in 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 161 

the newspapers that an enterprising American has taken 
the island on lease from the Chilian government, and es- 
tablished a settlement upon it of a hundred and fifty 
Tahitians, with the design of cultivating the earth, and 
furnishing vessels touching there with supplies of fruit 
and vegetables. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

ALEXANDER SELKIRK AND ROBINSON CRUSOE. 

It is stated in Howel's life of Selkirk that the singular 
history of this man (Alexander Selkirk) was soon made 
known to the public, and immediately after his arrival in 
London he became an object of curiosity, not only to the 
people at large, but to those elevated by rank and learn- 
ing. Sir Richard Steele, some time after, devoted to 
him an article in the paper entitled " The Englishman," 
in which he tells the reader that, as Selkirk is a man of 
good sense, it is a matter of great curiosity to hear him 
give an account of the different revolutions of his mind 
during the term of his solitude. "When I first saw 
him," continues this writer, " I thought, if I had not been 
let into his character and story, I could have discovered 
that he had been much separated from company, from 
his aspect and gesture / there was a strong but cheerful 
seriousness in his look, and a certain disregard of the or- 
dinary things around him, as if he had been sunk in 
thought. In the course of a few months," as it appears 
by the same writer, "familiar converse with the town 
had taken off the loneliness of his aspect, and quite alter- 
ed the expression ofhisfaceP 

"De Foe's romance of Robinson Crusoe was not pub- 
lished till the year 1719, when the original facts on which 
it was founded must have been nearly forgotten. There 
is no record of any interview having taken place between 
Selkirk and De Foe, so that it can not be decided wheth- 



162 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

er De Foe learned our hero's story from bis own mouth, 
or from such narratives as those published by Steele and 
others." 

On this point a biographer of De Foe remarks : " As- 
tonishing as was the success of De Foe's romance, it did 
not deter the curious from attempting to disparage it. 
The materials, it was said, were either furnished by or 
surreptitiously obtained from Alexander Selkirk, a mari- 
ner who had resided for four years on the desert island 
of Juan Fernandez, and returned to England in 1711. 
Very probably his story, which then excited considerable 
interest and attention, did suggest to De Foe the idea 
of writing his romance ; but all the details and incidents 
are entirely his own. Most certainly De Foe had ob- 
tained no papers or written documents from Selkirk, as 
the latter had none to communicate." 

Robinson Crusoe, however, can not be considered al- 
together a work of fiction. Without adhering strictly 
to the actual adventures of Selkirk, or of the Musquito 
Indian who preceded him, it gives, in the descriptions 
of scenery, the mode of providing food, the rude expedi- 
ents resorted to for shelter against the weather, and all 
the trials and consolations of solitude, a faithfully-drawn 
picture from these narratives, and a most truthful and 
charming delineation of solitary life, with such reflec- 
tions as the subject naturally suggested. De Foe was 
the great medium through which the spirit of the whole 
was fused ; it required the splendor of his genius to pre- 
serve from oblivion the lessons therein taught — of the 
advantages of temperance, fortitude, and, above all, an 
implicit reliance in the wisdom and mercy of the Crea- 
tor. He presents them in a most fascinating garb, with 
all the originality of a master-mind ; and it detracts 
nothing from his credit to say that the pictures are 
drawn strictly from nature. 

As Captain Rodgers well observes in his simple nar- 
rative of the adventures of Selkirk, " One may see by 
this that solitude and retirement from the world is not 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 153 

such an insufferable state of life as most men imagine, 
especially when people are fairly called or thrown into it 
unavoidably, as this man was ; who, in all probability, 
must otherwise have perished in the seas, the ship which 
left him being cast away not long after, and few of the 
company escaped. We may perceive by this story that 
necessity is the mother of invention, since he found 
means to supply his wants in a very natural mannex-, so 
as to maintain his life, though not so conveniently, yet as 
effectually as we are able to do Avith all our arts and so- 
ciety. It may likewise instruct us how much a plain and 
temperate way of living conduces to the health of the 
body and the vigor of the mind, both of which we are 
apt to destroy by excess and plenty, especially of strong 
liquor, and the variety as well as the nature of our meat 
and drink ; for this man, when he came to our ordinary 
method of diet and life, though he was sober enough, 
lost much of his strength and agility." 

De Foe does not, as may be seen by reference to the 
fourth section of" Robinson Crusoe," lay the scene of his 
narrative in Juan Fernandez. Robinson starts from the 
Brazils, where he has been living as a planter, on a voy- 
age to the coast of Guinea. Driven to the north wai'd 
along the coast of South America by heavy gales, the 
captain of the vessel found himself " upon the coast of 
Guinea, or the north part of Brazil, beyond the River 
Amazon, toward that of the River Oronoco, commonly 
called the Great River ; and began to consult with me," 
says Robinson, " what course he should take, for the 
ship was leaky and very much disabled, and he was for 
going directly back to the coast of Brazil. I was posi- 
tively against that ; and looking over the charts of the 
sea-coast of America with him, we concluded there was 
no inhabited country for us to have recourse to till we 
came within the circle of the Caribbee Islands, and there- 
fore resolved to stand away for Barbadoes ; which, by 
keeping off to sea, to avoid the indraught of the Bay or 
Gulf of Mexico, we might easily perforin, as we* hoped, 



164 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 

in about fifteen days' sail ; whereas we could not possi- 
bly make our voyage to the coast of Africa without 
some assistance both to our ship and ourselves. 

" "With this design we changed our course, and steered 
away N.W. by W. in order to reach some of our Eng- 
lish islands, where I hoped for relief; but our voyage 
was otherwise determined ; for, being in the latitude of 
12° 18', a second storm came upon us, whieh carried us 
away with the same impetuosity westward, and drove 
us so out of the very way of all human commerce, that, 
had our lives been saved as to the sea, we were rather in 
danger of being devoured by savages than ever return- 
ing to our own country. 

"In this distress, tbe wind still blowing very hard, 
one of our men early in the morning cried out Land! 
and we had no sooner run out of the cabin to look out, 
in hopes of seeing whereabouts in the world we were, 
but the ship struck upon a sand, and in a moment her 
motion being so stopped, the sea broke over her in such 
a manner that we expected we should all have perished 
immediately ; and we were immediately driven into our 
close quarters to shelter us from the very foam and spray 
of the sea." 

It will be seen from the above that Robinson Crusoe 
was not wrecked on the island of Juan Fernandez. In 
all probability he never saAV that island. I regret the 
fact as much as any body can regret it, because I always 
thought so till I referred more particularly to his his- 
tory ; but a due regard for truth compels me to give the 
facts as I find them. 

" The History of Robinson Crusoe," says the biogra- 
pher of De Foe, already quoted, "was first published in 
the year IV 19, and its popularity may be said to have 
been established immediately, since four editions were 
called for in about as many months, a circumstance at 
that time almost unprecedented in the annals of litera- 
ture. It rarely happens that an author's expectations 
are surpassed by the success of his work, however aston- 



CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 165 

isliing it may seem to others ; yet perhaps even De Foe 
himself did not venture to look forward to such a wel- 
come on the part of the public, after the repulses he had 
experienced on the part of the booksellers ; for, incredi- 
ble as it now appears, the manuscript of the work had 
been offered to, and rejected by, every one in the trade. 
" The author of Robinson Crusoe would be entitled to 
a prominent place in the history of our literature even 
had he never given to the world that truly admirable 
production ; and yet we may reasonably question wheth- 
er the name of De Foe would not long ago have sunk 
into oblitibn, or at least have been known, like those of 
most of his contemporaries, only to the curious student, 
were it not attached to a work whose popularity has 
been rarely equaled — never, perhaps, excelled. Even as 
it is, the reputation due to the writer has been nearly al- 
together absorbed in that of his hero, and in the all-en- 
grossing interest of his adventures : thousands who have 
read Robinson Crusoe with delight, and derived from it 
a satisfaction in no wise diminished by repeated perusal, 
have never bestowed a thought on its author, or, indeed, 
regarded it in the light of a literary performance. While 
its fascination has been universally felt, the genius that 
conceived it, the talent that perfected it, have been gen- 
erally overlooked, merely because it is so full of nature 
and reality as to exhibit no invention or exertion on the 
part of the author, inasmuch as he appears simply to 
have recorded what actually happened, and consequent- 
ly only to have committed to paper plain matter of fact, 
without study or embellishment. We wonder at and 
are struck with admiration by the powers of Shakspeare 
or Cervantes ; with regard to De Foe Ave experience no 
similar feeling : it is not the skill of the artist that en- 
chants us, but the perfect naturalness of the picture, 
which is such that we mistake it for a mirror ; so that 
every reader persuades himself that he could write as 
well, perhaps better, were he but furnished with the ma- 
terials for an equally interesting narrative." 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY, 



CHAPTER I. 

THE CANNIBAL. 

In the summer of 1849 I had occasion to visit San 
Luis Obispo, a small town about two hundred and fifty 
miles south of San Francisco. At that time no steamers 
touched at the Embarcadera, and but little dependence 
could be placed upon the small sailing craft that occa- 
sionally visited that isolated part of the coast. The trail 
through the Salinas and Santa Marguerita valleys was 
considered the only reliable route, though even that was 
not altogether as safe as could be desired. A portion 
of the country lying between the Old Mission of Soledad 
and San Miguel was infested by roving bands of Sonora- 
nians and lawless native Californians. Several drovers, 
who had started from San Francisco by this route to 
purchase cattle on the southern ranches, had never reach- 
ed their destination. It was generally believed that they 
had been murdered on the way. Indeed, in two instan- 
ces, this fact was established by the discovery of the 
mutilated remains of the murdered men. No clew could 
be obtained to the perpetrators of the deed, nor do I 
know that any legal measures were taken to find them. 
At that period the only laws existing were those admin- 
istered by the alcaldes, under the Mexican system, which 
had been temporarily adopted in connection with the 
provisional government established by General Riley. 
The people generally were too deeply interested in the 
development of the gold regions to give themselves much 






168 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 



concern about the condition of other parts of the conn- 
try, and the chances of bringing criminals to punishment 
in the southern districts were very remote. 




illKAGE IJf THE SALINAS VALLEY. 



My business was connected with the revenue service. 
A vessel laden with foreign goods had been wrecked on 
the coast within a short distance of San Luis. It was 
necessary that immediate official inquiry should be made 
into the circumstances, with a view of securing payment 
of duties upon the cargo. I was also charged with a 
commission to establish a line of post-offices on the land- 
route to Los Angeles, and enter into contracts for the 
carrying of the mails. 

By the advice of some friends in San Francisco, I pur- 
chased a fine-looking mule recently from the Colorado. 



■ A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 109 

The owner, a Texan gentleman, assured me that he had 
never mounted abetter animal ; and, so far as I was capa- 
ble of judging, the recommendation seemed to be justly 
merited. I willingly paid him his price — three hundred 
dollars. Next day, having provided myself with a good 
pair of blankets, a few pounds of coffee, sugar, and hard 
bread, and a hunting-knife and tin cup, I bade adieu to my 
friends and set out on my journey. A tedious voyage 
of six months around Cape Horn had given me a peculiar 
relish for shore-life. There was something veiy pleasant 
in the novelty of the scenery and the inspiring freshness 
of the air. The rush of emigrants from all parts of the 
world ; the amusing scenes along the road ; the free, so- 
cial, and hopeful spirit which prevailed among all classes; 
the clear, bright sky, and wonderful richness of coloring 
that characterized the atmosphere, all contributed to pro- 
duce the most agreeable sensations. It was a long and 
rather hazardous journey I had undertaken, and it would 
doubtless be very lonesome after passing San Jose ; but 
the idea of depending solely on my own resources, and 
becoming, in some sort, an adventurer in an almost un- 
known country, had something in it irresistibly captiva- 
ting to one of my roving disposition. I had traveled 
through Texas under nearly similar circumstances, and 
enjoyed many pleasant recollections of the trip. There 
is a charm about this wild sort of life, the entire freedom 
from restraint, the luxury of fresh air, the camp under 
the trees, with a bright fire and a canopy of stars over- 
head, that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. 

Nothing of importance occurred till the evening of the 
fourth day. I met crowds of travelers all along the road, 
singing and shouting in sheer exuberance of spirit; and 
not unfrequently had some very pleasant and congenial 
company, bound either to the mines or in search of va- 
cant government land for the location of claims. The 
road through the valleys of Santa Clara and San Jose 
Avas perfectly enchanting, winding through oak groves, 
and fields of wild oats and flowers ; and nothing could 

H 



170 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. ' 

exceed the balnriness of the air. Indeed, the whole coun- 
try seemed to me more like a succession of beautiful 
parks, in which each turn of the road might bring in view 
some elegant mansion, with sweeping lawns in front, and 
graceful ladies mounted on palfreys, than a rude and un- 
civilized part of the world hitherto almost unknown. 

I stopped a night at San Jose, where I was most hos- 
pitably received by the alcalde, an American gentleman 
of intelligence, to whom I had a letter of introduction. 
Next day, after a pleasant ride of forty-five miles, I reach- 
ed the Mission of San Juan, one of the most eligibly lo- 
cated of all the old missionary establishments. It was 
now in a state of decay. The vineyards were but par- 
tially cultivated, and the secos, or ditches for the irriga- 
tion of the land, were entirely dry. I got some .very 
good pears from the old Spaniard in chai-ge of the mis- 
sion — a rare luxury after a long sea-voyage. The only 
tavern in the place was the " United States," kept by an 
American and his wife in an old adobe house, originally 
a part of the missionary establishment. Having secured 
accommodations for my mule, I took up my quarters for 
the night at the " United States." The woman seemed 
to be the principal manager. Perhaps I might have no- 
ticed her a little closely, since she was the only white 
woman I had enjoyed the opportunity of conversing with 
for some time. It was very certain, however, that she 
struck me as an uncommon person — tall, raw-boned, 
sharp, and masculine — with a wild and piercing expres- 
sion of eye, and a smile singularly startling and unfemi- 
nine. I even fancied that her teeth were long and point- 
ed, and that she resembled a picture of an ogress I had 
seen when a child. The man was a subdued and melan- 
choly-looking person, presenting no particular trait of 
character in his appearance save that of general aban- 
donment to the influence of misfortune. His dress and 
expression impressed me with the idea that he had ex- 
perienced much trouble, without possessing that strong- 
power of recuperation so common among American ad- 
venturers in California. 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 171 

It would scarcely be worth while noticing these casu- 
al acquaintances of a night, since they have nothing to 
do with my narrative, but for the remarkable illustration 
they afford of the hardships that were encountered at 
that time on the emigrant routes to California. In the 
course of conversation with the man, I found that he and 
his Avife were among the few survivors of a party whose 
terrible sufferings in the mountains during the past win- 
ter had been the theme of much comment in the news- 
papers. He did not state — what I already knew from 
the published narrative of their adventures — that the 
woman had subsisted for some time on the dead body of 
a child belonging to one of the party. It was said that 
the man had held out to the last, and refused to partici- 
pate in this horrible feast of human flesh. 

So strangely impressive was it to be brought in direct 
contact with a fellow-being, especially of the gentler sex, 
who had absolutely eaten of human flesh, that I could 
not but look upon this woman with a shudder. Her suf- 
ferings had been intense; that was evident from her 
marked and weather-beaten features. Doubtless she had 
struggled against the cravings of hunger as long as rea- 
son lasted. But still the one terrible act, whether the re- 
sult of necessity or insanity, invested her with a repellant 
atmosphere of horror. Her very smile struck me as the 
gloating expression of a cannibal over human blood. In 
vain I struggled against this unchristian feeling. "Was 
it right to judge a poor creature whose great misfortune 
was perhaps no offense against the laws of nature ? She 
might be the tenderest and best of women — I knew noth- 
ing of her history. It was a pitiable case. But, after 
all, she had eaten of human flesh ; there was no getting 
over that. 

When I sat down to supper this woman was obliging 
enough to hand me a plate of meat. I was. hungry, and 
tried to eat it. Every morsel seemed to stick in my 
throat. I could not feel quite sure that it was what it 
seemed to be. The odor even disgusted me. Nor could 



172 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

I partake of the bread she passed to me with any more 
relish. It was probably made by her hands — the same 
hands that had torn the flesh from a corpse and passed 
the reeking shreds to her mouth. The taint of an imag- 
inary corruption was upon it. 

The room allotted to me for the night was roughly 
furnished, as might reasonably be expected ; but, apart 
from this, the bedding was filthy ; and, in common with 
every thing about the house, the slatternly appearance 
of the furniture did not tend to remove the unpleasant 
impression I had formed of my hostess. Whether ow- 
ing to the vermin, or an unfounded suspicion that she 
might become hungry during the night, I slept but little. 
The picture of the terrible ogress that I had seen when 
a child, and the story of the little children which she had 
devoured, assumed a fearful reality, and became strangely 
mingled in my dreams with this woman's face. I was 
glad when daylight afforded me an excuse to get up and 
take a stroll in the fresh air. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE MIRAGE. 

After an early breakfast, I mounted my mule and pur- 
sued my journey over the pass of the San Juan. The 
view from the summit was magnificent. Beyond a range 
of sand-hills toward the right stretched the great Pacific. 
Ridges of mountains, singularly varied in outline, swept 
down in front into the broad valley of the Salinas. The 
pine forests of Monterey and Santa Cruz were dimly per- 
ceptible in the distance; and to the left was a wilder- 
ness of rugged cliffs, as far as the eye could reach, weird 
and desolate as a Cape Horn sea suddenly petrified in 
the midst of a storm. Descending through a series of 
beautiful little valleys clothed in a golden drapery of 
wild oafes, and charmingly diversified with groves of oak 




l'ASS OF SAN JUAN. 



!74 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

and sycamore, and rich shrubbery of ceonosa, hazel, and 
wild grape, I at length entered the great valley of the 
Salinas, nine miles from the Mission of San Juan. At 
that time innumerable herds of cattle covered the rich 
pastures of this magnificent valley ; and although there 
are still many to be seen there, the number has been 
greatly reduced during the last ten years. A large por- 
tion of the country bordering on the Salinas River, as far 
south as the Mission of Soledad, has been cut up iuto 
small ranches and farms; and thriving settlements and 
extensive fields of grain are now to be seen where for- 
merly ranged wild bands of cattle, mustang, and innu- 
merable herds of antelope. 

Turning to the southward, and keeping in view the 
two great ranges of mountains which were the chief 
landmarks in former times, the scene that lay outspread 
before me resembled rather some wild region of enchant- 
ment than any thing that could be supposed to exist in 
a material world — so light and hazy were the distant 
mountains, so vaguely mingled the earth and sky, so rich 
and fanciful the atmospheric tints, and so visionary the 
groves that decorated the plain. Never before had I 
witnessed the mirage in the full perfection of its beauty. 
The whole scene was transformed into a series of mag- 
nificent optical illusions, surpassing the wildest dreams 
of romance. Points of w T oodland, sweeping from the 
base of the mountains far into the valley, were reflected 
in mystic lakes. Herds of cattle loomed up on the sur- 
face of the sleeping waters like miniature fleets of vessels 
with variegated sails. Mounds of yellow sand, rising a 
little above the level of the plain, had all the effect of rich 
Oriental cities, with gorgeous palaces of gold, mosques, 
and minarets, and wondrous temples glittering with jew- 
els and precious stones. Bands of ant elope coursed grace- 
fully over the foreground ; but so light and vaguely de- 
fined were their forms that they seemed rather to sail 
through the air than touch the earth. By .the illusory 
process of the refraction, they appeared to sweep into the 



itifflii^ 



; 



m 






i-ii'l-'illl'niU^Mni^nilJilJ^^fjjlfr.i.^ViitliMViilMVi ■ 



176 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

lakes and assume the forms of aerial boats, more fanciful 
and richly colored than the caiques of Constantinople. 
Birds, too, of snowy plumage, skimmed over the silvery 
waste ; and islands that lay sleeping in the glowing light 
were covered with myriads ol* water-fowl. A solitary 
vulture, sitting upon the carcass of some dead animal a 



VULTURE IN THE MIKACiE. 



few hundred yards off, loomed into the form of a fabu- 
lous monster of olden times, with a gory head, and a beak 
that opened as if to swallow all within his reach. These 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 177 

wonderful features in the scene were continually chang- 
ing : the lakes disappeared with their islands and fleets, 
and new lakes, with still stranger and more fantastic illu- 
sions, merged into existence out of the rarefied atmos- 
phere. Thus hour after hour was I beguiled on my way 
through this mystic region of enchantment. 

Toward evening I reached the Saliuas River, where I 
stopped to rest and water my mule. A Spanish vaquero, 
whom I found under the trees enjoying the siesta to which 
that race are addicted, informed me that it was "Dos 
leguos, poco mas o meno" to Soledad. As he lived 
there, he would show me the way. It was inhabited by 
the Sobranis family, and they owned sixteen square 
leagues of land and " muchos granada." This much I 
contrived to understand ; but when I handed the vaque- 
ro a fine Principe cigar, and he took a few whiffs and 
became eloquent, I entirely lost the train of his observa- 
tions. It is possible he may have been reciting a poem 
on pastoral life. At all events, we jogged along very so- 
ciably, and in something over an hour reached the mis- 
sion. 

A more desolate place than Soledad can not well be 
imagined. The old church is partially in ruins, and the 
adobe huts built for the Indians are roofless, and the 
walls tumbled about in shapeless piles. Not a tree or 
shrub is to be seen any where in the vicinity. The 
ground is bare, like an open road, save in front of the 
main building (formerly occupied by the priests), where 
the carcasses and bones of cattle are scattered about, 
presenting a disgusting spectacle. But this is a common 
sight on the Spanish ranches. Too lazy to carry the 
meat very far, the rancheros generally do their butcher- 
ing in front of the door, and leave the Indians and buz- 
zards to dispose of the offal. 

A young Spaniard, one of the proprietors, was the 
only person at home, with the exception of a few dirty 
Indians who were lying about the door. He received 
me rather coldly, as I thought, and took no concern 

H2 



9 iSgJUi 




A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 179 

whatever about my mule. I learned afterward that this 
family had been greatly imposed upon by travelers pass- 
ing northward to the mines, who killed their cattle, stole 
their corn, stopped of nights and wA away without 
paying any thing. At first they freely entertained all 
who came along in the genuine style of Spanish hospital- 
ity ; but, not content with the kind treatment bestowed 
upon them, their rough guests seldom left the premises 
without carrying away whatever they could lay hands 
upon. This naturally embittered them against strangers, 
and of course I had to bear my share of the ill feeling 
manifested toward the traveling public. It was not 
long, however, before I discovered a key to my young- 
host's good graces. He was strumming on an old gui- 
tar when I arrived, and soon resumed his solitaiy amuse- 
ment, not seeming disposed to respond to my feeble at- 
tempts at his native language, but rather enjoying the 
idea of drawing himself into the doleful sphere of his 
own music. As soon as a favorable opportunity occur- 
red, I took the guitar, and struck up such a lively song 
of "The Frogs that tried to Come it, but couldn't get a 
Chance," that the cadaverous visage of my host gradual- 
ly relaxed into a smile, then into a broad grin, and at the 
climax he absolutely laughed. It was all right. Music 
had soothed the savage breast. Sobranis was conquered. 
He immediately directed the vaquero to see to my ani- 
mal, and set to work and got me an excellent supper of 
tortillas and frijoles, jerked beef and oja; after which he 
insisted upon learning the song of the Frog, which of 
course I was obliged to teach him. So passed the hours 
till late bedtime. Notwithstanding the fleas, which 
abounded in overwhelming numbers, I contrived to sleep 
soundly. Next morning, after a good breakfast of cof- 
fee, tortillas, jerked beef, etc., as before, I mounted my 
mule and proceeded on my journey, much to the regret 
of Sobranis, who positively refused to accept a cent for 
the accommodations he had aflbrded me. 



180 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 



CHAPTER III. 

A DEATH-STRUGGLE. 

In the vicinity of the sea-shore, and as far inland as 
Soledad, the temperature was delightfully cool and brac- 
ing; but beyond the first turning-point of mountains to 
the southward a marked change was perceptible. Al- 
though the sun was not more than two hours high, the 
heat was intense. The rich black soil, which had been 
thoroughly saturated with the winter rains, was now 
baked nearly as hard as stone, and was cracked open in 
deep fissures, rendering the trail in some places quite dif- 
ficult even for the practiced feet of the mule. Every 
thing like vegetation was parched to a crisp with the 
scorching rays of the sun. The bed of the river was 
quite dry, and no sign of moisture was visible for many 
miles. The rich fields of wild oats were no longer to be 
seen, but dried and cracking wastes of wild mustard, 
sage-weed, and bunch grass. In some places deserts of 
sand, without a particle of vegetation, and incrusted with 
saline deposits, stretched along the base of the mount- 
ains as far as the eye could reach. The glare on these 
plains of alkali (as they were commonly called) was ab- 
solutely blinding. Toward noon, so intense was the 
heat, I thought it impossible to endure it another hour. 
A dry, hot cloud of dust rose from the parched earth, 
and hung around me like the fiery breath of an oven. 
Neither tree nor shrub was to be seen any where along 
the wayside. As I toiled wearily along, scarcely able to 
get my mule out of a walk, I thought of Denham and 
Clapperton, the brothers Lander, Mungo Park, and all 
the great African explorers, and wondered how they 
could have endured for weeks and months what I found 
it so hard to bear for a few hours. There was no re- 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 181 

spite ; nothing in the world to alleviate the burning 
heat ; not even a stunted shrub to creep under. And 
yet, thought I, this is but a flash in the pan to the des- 
erts of Africa. Not that the heat is more intense there ; 
for I believe it is admitted that the thermometer rises 
higher in California than in any other part of the world. 
I have known it to be 130° Fahrenheit in the mines, and 
have been told that in the gulches of some of the foot- 
hills of4he Sierra Nevada it has been known to reach 
150°. The official table published by Congress shows 
that the maximum heat at Fort Miller is 118°, while at 
Fort Yuma, on the Colorado, it does not exceed 110°. 
In the narrative of the voyages of Lord Anson, written 
by his chaplain, it is conceded that the heat is greater in 
California, owing to local causes, than at any known 
point between the tropics. But very different is it in 
Africa, or any tropical country, in this respect — that the 
climate of California is never oppressive, whatever may 
be the temperature. The nights are delightfully cool, 
and the mornings peculiarly fresh and bracing. Hence 
the suffering from heat is never protracted beyond a few 
hours. At all events, not to go into any farther disser- 
tation upon climate, I found it quite warm enough on the 
present occasion, and would have been very glad to ac- 
cept the loan of an umbrella had any body been at hand 
to offer it to me. 

About an hour before sunset, as I was riding slowly 
along, enjoying the approaching shades of evening, I dis- 
covered for the first time that my mule was lame. I had 
traveled very leisurely on account of the heat, making 
not over thirty miles. The nearest watei*, as the young 
Spaniard, Sobranis, had informed me, was at a point yet 
distant about five miles. I saw that it was necessary to 
hurry, and began to spur my mule in the hope of being 
able to reach this camping place ; but I soon perceived 
that the poor animal was not only lame, but badly found- 
ered — at least it seemed so then, though my convictions 
on that point were somewhat shaken by what subse- 



182 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

quently occurred. I bad succeeded, after considerable 
spurring, in getting him into a lope, when be suddenly 
stumbled and threw me over bis head. Tbe shock of 
the fall stunned me for a few moments, but fortunately I 
was not hurt. I must have turned a complete somer- 
sault. As soon as consciousness returned I found that I 
was lying on my back in the middle of tbe road, tbe 
mule quietly grazing within ten feet. I got up a little 
bewildered, shook oif some of the dust, and started to 
regain tbe bridle ; but, to my great surprise, the mule 
put back his ears, kicked up his heels, and ran off at a 
rate of speed that I deemed a foundered animal entirely 
incapable of achieving. There was not the slightest 
symptom of lameness in his gait. He " loped" as freely 
as if he had just begun his journey. In vain I shouted 
and ran after him. Sometimes he seemed absolutely to 
enjoy my helpless condition, and would permit me to ap- 
proach within two or three feet, but never to get hold 
of the bridle. Every attempt of that kind he resented 
by whirling suddenly and kicking at me with both heels, 
so that once or twice it was a miracle how I escaped. 
For the first time since morning, notwithstanding the 
heat of the day, my skin became moist. A profuse 
sweat broke out all over me, and I was parched with a 
burning thirst. It was thirty miles from Soledad, the 
nearest inhabited place that I knew of, and even if I felt 
disposed to turn back it would have been at great risk 
and inconvenience. My blankets, coat, pistol, and pa- 
pers — the whole of incalculable importance to me — were 
firmly strapped behind the saddle, and there was no way 
of getting at them without securing the mule. Upon re- 
flection, it seemed best to follow him to the watering- 
place. He must be pretty thirsty after his hard day's 
journey in the sun, and would not be likely to pass that. 
I therefore walked on as fast as possible, keeping the 
mule as near in the trail as bis stubborn nature would 
permit. It was not without difficulty, however, that I 
could discern the right trail, for it was frequently in- 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 183 

tersected by others, and occasionally became lost in 
patches of sand and sage-brush. 

In this way, with considerable toil, . I had advanced 
about two miles, when I discovered that a large band 
of Spanish cattle, which had been visible for some time 
in the distance, began to close in toward the line of my 
route, evidently with the intention of cutting me off. 
Their gestures were quite hostile enough to inspire a sol- 
itary and unarmed footman with uneasiness. A fierce- 
looking bull led the way, followed by a lowing regiment 
of stags, steers, and cows, crowding one upon the other 
in their furious charge. As they advanced, the leader 
occasionally stopped to tear up the earth and shake his 
horns ; but the mass kept crowding on, their tails switch- 
ing high in the air, and uttering the most fearful bellow- 
ing, while they tossed their horns and stared wildly, as 
if in mingled rage and astonishment. I had heard too 
much of the wild cattle of California, and their hostility 
toward men on foot at this season of the year, not to be- 
come at once sensible of my dangerous position. 

The nearest tree was half a mile to the left, on the 
margin of a dry creek. There was a grove of small oaks 
winding for some distance along the banks of the creek ; 
but between the spot where I stood and this place of se- 
curity scattering bands of cattle were grazing. How- 
ever, there was no time to hesitate upon a choice of diffi- 
culties. Two or three hundred wild cattle rushing furi- 
ously toward one in an open plain assist him in coming 
to a very rapid conclusion. I know of no position in 
which human strength is of so little avail — the tremen- 
dous aggregation of brute force opposed to one feeble 
pair of arms seems so utterly irresistible. I confess in- 
stinct lent me a helping hand in this emergency. Scarce- 
ly conscious of the act, I ran with all my might for the 
nearest tree. The thundering of heavy hoofs after me, 
and the furious bellowing that resounded over the plain, 
spread a contagion among the grazing herds on the way, 
and with one accord they joined in the chase. It is in 



184 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

no spirit of boastfulness that I assert the fact, but I cer- 
tainly made that half mile in as few minutes as ever the 
same distance was made by mortal man. When I reach- 
ed the tree I looked back. The advance body of the 
cattle were within a hundred yards, bearing down in a 
whirlwind of dust. I lost no time in making my retreat 
secure. As the enemy rushed in, tearing up the earth 
and glaring at me with their fierce, wild eyes, I had 
gained the fork of the tree, about six feet from the 
ground, and felt very thankful that I was beyond their 
reach. Still there was something fearful in being block- 
aded in such a place for the night. An intolerable thirst 
parched my throat. The effects of the exertion were 
scarcely perceptible at first, but as I regaiued my breath 
it seemed impossible to exist an hour longer without wa- 
ter. In this valley the climate is so intensely dry during 
the summer heats that the juices of the system are quick- 
ly absorbed, and the skin becomes like a sheet of parch- 
ment. My head felt as if compressed in a band of iron ; 
my tongue was dry and swollen. I would have given 
all I possessed, or ever hoped to possess, for a single 
glass of water. 

While in this position, with the prospect of a dreaiy 
night before me, and suffering the keenest physical an- 
guish, a very singular circumstance occurred to relieve 
me of farther apprehension respecting the cattle, though 
it suggested a new danger for which I was equally un- 
prepared. A fine young bull had descended the bed of 
the creek in search of a water-hole. While pushing his 
way through the bushes he was suddenly attacked by a 
grizzly bear. The struggle was terrific. I could see the 
tops of the bushes sway violently to and fro, and hear 
the heavy crash of drift-wood as the two powerful ani- 
mals writhed in their fierce embrace. A cloud of dust 
•rose from the spot. It was not distant over a hundred 
yards from the tree in which I had taken refuge. Scarce- 
ly two minutes elapsed before the bull broke through 
the bushes. His head was covered with blood, and 






A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. ' 185 

great flakes of flesh hung from his fore shoulders ; but, 
instead of manifesting signs of defeat, he seemed literally 
to glow with defiant rage. Instinct had taught him to 
seek an open space. A more splendid specimen of an 
animal I never saw ; lithe and wiry, yet wonderfully 
massive about the shoulders, combining the rarest quali- 
ties of strength and symmetry. For a moment he stood 
glaring at the bushes, his head erect, his eyes flashing, 
his nostrils distended, and his whole form fixed and rig- 
id. But scarcely had I time to glance at him when a 
huge bear, the largest and most formidable I ever saw in 
a wild state, broke through the opening. 

A trial of brute force that baffles description now en- 
sued. Badly as I had been treated by the cattle, my 
sympathies were greatly in favor of the bull, which 
seemed to me to be much the nobler animal of the two. 
He did not wait to meet the charge, but, lowering his 
head, boldly rushed upon his savage adversary. The 
grizzly was active and wary. He no sooner got within 
reach of the bull's horns than he seized them in his pow- 
erful grasp, keeping the head to the ground by main 
strength and the tremendous weight of his body, Avhile 
he bit at the nose with his teeth, and raked stripes of 
flesh from the shoulders with his hind paws. The two 
animals must have been of very nearly equal weight. 
On the one side there was the advantage of superior 
agility and two sets of weapons — the teeth and claws ; 
but on the other, greater powers of endurance and more 
inflexible courage. The position thus assumed was main- 
tained for some time — the bull struggling desperately to 
free his head, while the blood streamed from his nostrils 
— the bear straining every muscle to drag him to the 
ground. No advantage seemed to be gained on either 
side. The result of the battle evidently depended on 
the merest accident. 

As if by mutual consent, each gradually ceased strug- 
gling, to regain breath, and as much as five minutes must 
have elapsed while they were locked in this motionless 




A mi EL A LA MORT 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 187 

but terrible embrace. Suddenly the bull, by one desper- 
ate effort, wrenched his head from the grasp of his ad- 
versary, and retreated a few steps. The bear stood up 
to receive him. I now watched with breathless interest, 
for it was evident that each animal had staked his life 
upon the issue of the conflict. The cattle from the sur- 
rounding plains had crowded in, and stood moaning and 
bellowing around the combatants ; but, as if withheld by 
terror, none seemed disjjosed to interfere. Rendered fu- 
rious by his wounds, the bull now gathered up all his 
energies, and charged with such impetuous force and 
ferocity that the bear, despite the most terrific blows 
with his paws, rolled over in the dust, vainly struggling 
to defend himself. The lunges and thrusts of the former 
were perfectly furious. At length, by a sudden and 
well-directed motion of his head, he got one of his horns 
under the bear's belly, and gave it a rip that brought 
out a clotted mass of entrails. It was apparent that the 
battle must soon end. Both were grievously wounded, 
and neither could last much longer. The ground was 
torn up and covered with blood for some distance 
around, and the panting of the struggling animals be- 
came each moment heavier and quicker. Maimed and 
gory, they fought with the desperate certainty of death 
— the bear rolling over and over, vainly striking out to 
avoid the fatal horns of his adversary — the bull ripping, 
thrusting, and tearing with irresistible ferocity. 

At length, as if determined to end the conflict, the 
bull drew back, lowered his head, and made one tremen- 
dous charge ; but, blinded by the blood that trickled 
down his forehead, he missed his mark, and rolled head- 
long on the ground. In an instant the bear whirled and 
was upon him. Thoroughly invigorated by the prospect 
of a speedy victory, he tore the flesh in huge masses from 
the ribs of his prostrate foe. The two rolled over and 
over in the terrible death-struggle ; nothing was now to 
be seen save a heaving, gory mass, dimly perceptible 
through the dust. A few minutes would certainly have 



188 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

terminated the bloody strife,- so far as my favorite was 
concerned, when, to my astonishment, I saw the bear re- 
lax in his efforts, roll over from the body of his prostrate 
foe, and drag himself feebly a few yards from the spot. 
His entrails had burst entirely through the wound in his 
belly, and now lay in long strings over the ground. The 
next moment the bull was on his legs, erect and fierce 
as ever. Shaking the blood from his eyes, he looked 
around, and seeing the reeking mass before him, lowered 
his head for the final and most desperate charge. In the 
death-struggle that ensued both animals seemed anima- 
ted by supernatural strength. The grizzly struck out 
wildly, but with such destructive energy that the bull, 
upon drawing back his head, presented a horrible and 
ghastly spectacle ; his tongue, a mangled mass of shreds, 
hanging from his mouth, his eyes torn completely from 
their sockets, and his Avhole face stripped to the bone. 
On the other hand, the bear was ripped completely open, 
and writhing in his last agonies. Here it was that in- 
domitable courage prevailed ; for, blinded and maimed 
as he was, the bull, after a momentary pause to regain 
his wind, dashed wildly at his adversary again, determ- 
ined to be victorious even in death. A terrific roar es- 
caped from the dying grizzly. With a last frantic efibrt 
he sought to make his escape, scrambling over and over 
in the dust. But his strength was gone. A few more 
thrusts from the savage victor, and he lay stretched upon 
the sand, his muscles quivering convulsively, his huge 
body a resistless mass. A clutching motion' of the claws 
— a groan — a gurgle of the throat, and he was dead. 

The bull now raised his bloody crest, uttered a deep 
bellowing sound, shook his horns triumphantly, and slow- 
ly walked off, not, however* without turning every few 
steps to renew the struggle if necessary. But his last 
battle was fought. As the blood streamed from his 
wounds a death-chill came over him. He stood for some 
time, unyielding to the last, bracing himself up, his legs 
apart, his head gradually drooping ; then dropped on his 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 189 

fore knees and lay down ; soon his head rested upon the 
ground ; his body became motionless ; a groan, a few 
convulsive respirations, and he too, the noble victor, was 
dead. 

During this strange and sanguinary struggle, the cat- 
tle, as I stated before, had gathered in around the com- 
batants. The most daring, as if drawn toward the spot 
by the smell of blood or some irresistible fascination, 
formed a circle within twenty or thirty yards, and gazed 
at the murderous work that w r as going on with startled 
and terror-stricken eyes ; but none dared to join in the 
defense of their champion. No sooner was the battle 
ended, and the victor and the vanquished stretched dead 
upon the ground, than a panic seized upon the excited 
multitude, and by one accord they set up a wild bellow- 
ing, switched their tails in the air, and started off at full 
speed for the plains. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE OUTLAWS' CAMP. 



It was now nearly dark. The impressive scene I had 
just witnessed, and in which I had become so absorbed 
as to lose all consciousness of danger, now forcibly re-" 
minded me that this was not a safe place of retreat for 
the night. I descended from the tree, seeing all clear, 
and hurried out toward the edge of the plain, where I 
discovered a trail leading down parallel with the creek. 
The water-hole I knew must be on this creek, for there 
was no other in sight. It could not be more than two 
or three miles distant, and there was yet sufficient light 
to enable me to keep within range of the bushes on the 
left. I walked on rapidly for nearly an hour, sometimes 
stumbling into the deep fissures which had been made in 
the ground by the heat of the sun, and often obliged to 
descend deep arroyas and seek for some time before I 



190 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

could find an outlet on the other side ; but in the course 
of an hour I was rejoiced to see a point of woodland 
jutting into the plain, not over a few hundred yards dis- 
tant, in the midst of which there was the glimmer of a 
fire. 

I say rejoiced, for certainly that was the first sensa- 
tion ; but in approaching the light I could not but think 
of the savage character of the country, and the probabil- 
ity of meeting with company here as little to my liking 
as any I had yet encountered. This part of the Salinas 
was entirely out of the range of civilization ; neither 
miners nor settlers had yet intruded upon these dreary 
solitudes ; and the chances were greatly in favor of meet- 
ing a party of Sonoranian desperadoes or outlawed Cali- 
fornians. Yet what inducement could I present for rob- 
bery or murder in such a destitute plight ? Without 
coat, blankets, pistol, or property of any kind except a 
watch concealed in the fob of my pantaloons — even with- 
out money ; for what little I owned, not over forty or 
fifty dollars, was contained in a leather purse in the pock- 
et of my coat — of what avail would it be to molest me ? 
If plunder should be an object, they must already be in 
possession of all I had. 

These considerations somewhat allayed my apprehen- 
sions ; and, at all events, I saw no alternative but to keep 
on. As I descended from the plain into the oak grove 
bordering upon the bed of the creek, I observed that 
there were only two men in camp. From their costume 
— the common blue shirts, pantaloons, and rough boots 
of ordinary travelers on the way to the mines — I judged 
them to be Americans. Nor was I mistaken. The very 
first word I heard spoken was an oath, which it is un- 
necessary for me to repeat. 

" I say, Griff," said one, in a coarse, brutal voice, " if 
he comes don't you budge. He'll be here certain." 

" Jack," replied the man addressed, " you've done 
enough of that. You'd better hold up a while, that's 
my opinion." 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 191 

The other laughed; not a joyous laugh of natural 
mirth lulu ess, but something resembling a chuckling 
sneer that was horribly repelling. An instinctive feeling 
prompted me to retrace my steps and strike out for the 
Mission of Soledad. Without well knowing why, I was 
impressed with an irresistible conviction that the spirit 
of sin brooded over this camp. Acting upon the im- 
pulse of the moment, I turned to retreat while yet undis- 
covered, when a man emerged from the bushes a little 
below, and called out sharply, " Who's that ? Answer 
quick, or you're a dead man !" 

I answered at once, "An American — a friend. Don't 
shoot ! It's all right !" 

I then advanced into the camp, where I was greeted 
with an uneasy and suspicious stare, very much unlike 
any reception I had ever met with before from a party 
of. countrymen. There was either distrust or disap- 
pointment in their looks, probably both. The party con- 
sisted of three men, two of whom, were standing by the 
fire cooking a piece of venison, while the third, who had 
hailed me from the bushes, seemed to have been on the 
look-out. 

The man called "Jack" — he who had first spoken — 
was a swarthy, thick-set fellow, about thirty years of 
age, with a bull neck, a coarse black beard, and heavy 
sun -burned mustache. His eyes were overhung by 
bushy brows, and were of a cold, stony color and very 
deeply set, giving him an appearance of peeping out fur- 
tively from a chaparral of brush. A shock of black mat- 
ted hair covered his head ; his hands were begrimed 
with dirt, and his dress was ragged, greasy, and stained 
with blotches of filth and blood. On his feet he wore a 
pair of coarse heavy boots, out at the toes, in the legs of 
which his pantaloons were carelessly thrust, giving him 
a peculiarly slovenly and blackguard air. A belt around 
his waist, with a revolver and knife, and a leather pouch 
for balls and patching, completed his costume and trap- 
pings. I instinctively recoiled from this man. His 



i^^^i^ 




A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 



193 




whole expression — his voice, manner, dress, and all — pro- 
nounced him a coarse and unmitigated villain. There 
was not a single redeeming point about him that I could 
discover. Hard, crafty, and cruel, profane, filthy, and 
brutal, his character was patent at a glance. If he was 
not intrinsically bad, nature had grievously belied him. 

The other, to whom this fellow had addressed his re- 
marks when 1 first heard their voices, and who was call- 
ed "GrhT," was apparently somewhat younger, though 
rough and weather-beaten, as if he had been much ex- 

I 



194 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

posed. His form was gaunt and athletic, and his height 
over six feet. There was something very sad in the ex- 
pression of his face, which was well chiseled, and not 
destitute of a certain quality of rough, manly beauty. A 
prominent nose ; firm and compressed lips ; a square 
projecting chin, evincing firmness, and a liquid blue eye, 
with a mingled expression of gentleness and determina- 
tion ; deep furrows, tending downward from the corners 
of his mouth ; long waving hair, and a light mustache, 
gave him something of a heroic cast of countenance, 
which, but for an appearance of general recklessness, 
would have redeemed him under all the disadvantages 
of ragged clothes and evil associations. Yet I felt at 
once interested in this man. He seemed embarrassed as 
I scanned his features, apparently struggling with some 
natural impulse of politeness, which prompted him to of- 
fer me a more kindly welcome than his comrades had 
bestowed upon me ; but, if such an impulse moved him, 
it was speedily checked. He drew his hat over his brow, 
and resumed his occupation at the fire without saying a 
word. Still, even his silence was not unfriendly. 

The third of this strange party was a lithe, wiry man, 
not over five feet eight in height, but compact and not 
ungracefully formed. He was apparently much older 
than either of the others. To look upon him once was 
to receive an impression of evil that could never be ef- 
faced. His countenance was the most repellent I had 
ever seen, far surpassing that of the man "Jack" in cool, 
crafty malignity. I could readily imagine that this was 
the leader in all that required subtlety, intellect, and skill. 
His forehead was high and narrow ; his eyes closely set 
together, black, and of piercing brilliancy ; his features 
sharp and mobile ; but it was his mouth that more than 
all gave him the distinguishing expression of cruelty and- 
cunning. A sardonic smile continually played upon his 
thin, bloodless lips. Every muscle seemed under perfect 
control. It might well be said of this man that 
"He could smile, and smile, and be a villain still," 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 195 

for villainy lurked in every feature. Yet he was not de- 
ficient in a certain air of personal neatness to which the 
other two had no pretensions. His jet-hlack hair was 
closely cut, and his face quite destitute of beard, and of 
that peculiar leaden color which indicates a long career 
of dissipation. In his dress he was even slightly foppish ; 
wore a green cassimere hunting-jacket, with brass but- 
tons; a white shirt, a breast-pin, and a pair of check pan- 
taloons. His fingers were adorned with rings, and a 
watch-guard hung from his neck. The hilt of a bowie- 
knife, ornamented with silver, protruded from under the 
breast of his vest, and a revolver hung from a belt around 
his waist. In his motions he was quick, supine, and 
noiseless. Something of the basilisk there was about 
this man— something bi'illiant and glossy, as if he shone 
with a peculiar light. I fancied I had seen gamblers like 
him in New Orleans, fierce yet wary men, accustomed to 
play at hazardous games; glossy outside and of fascina- 
ting suavity, but corrupt to the core. Even his green 
coat added to the illusion ; it fitted him so neatly, and 
seemed so like the natural slimy skin of a poisonous rep- 
tile. It was evident this was no ordinary adventurer. 
His manner was that of a man of the world ; he had seen 
much, and he knew much, mostly of evil I fancied, for all 
that was about him was essentially bad. A certain def- 
erence toward him was perceptible in the manner of the 
other two men, especially in that of the thick-set fellow 
called Jack, who lost much of his bravado air when " the 
Colonel" spoke, for such was the title accorded to the 
last-named of the party. The Colonel was pleased to 
scan me very closely for some moments before he opened 
his lips. When he spoke I was astonished at the change 
in his voice, which, when I first heard it, was sharp and 
hard. It was now wonderfully soft and silky. 

"Sir," said he, blandly, "you seem to have lost your 
way. Have you walked far ?" 

" Not very," was my answer. " Only five miles. My 
7nule threw me and ran awav. I was unable to catch 



196 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

him, and thought probably he had made his way to this 
pool of water. Have you seen him? — a large brown 
mule, Avith a roll of blankets and a coat fastened to the 
saddle?" 

The Colonel smiled pleasantly. 

" I see, friend, you are not accustomed to traveling in 
this rough style. Your mule has doubtless gone back 
to his old quarters, wherever you got him. A mule nev- 
er goes farther in a new direction than he can help." 

"But I saw him start for this point. He was very 
thirsty, I know ; and, besides, he came from the Colorado 
not over a month ago. His course would naturally be 
to the southward if he desired to return to his old quar- 
ters." 

"Very likely," said the Colonel, quietly : " it may be 
the same mule I sold to a gentleman from Texas down 
there about that time." 

"Yes — I bought him from a Texan. It must be the 
same," I answered, glad to find some clew, however re- 
mote, to the object of my search. 

The Colonel smiled again, and expressed his regret 
that it was not the nature of that mule to go in the di- 
rection of the Colorado. The fare for mules in that re- 
gion was rather dry ; and the animal in question had a 
very keen appreciation of good fare. At all events, no 
such mule had been seen here — " unless, perhaps, you 
may have seen him," added the Colonel, turning to the 
thick-set man, and regarding him with a peculiar expres- 
sion — the same basilisk eye that I had noticed before. 

" I ?" said Jack, laughing coarsely ; " the last mule I 
saw was a small mustang horse that belongs to myself." 

"Possibly you may have seen him?" suggested the 
Colonel, looking at the tall, gaunt man, Griff; and here 
I could not but notice the change in his expression. 
His brow unconsciously lowered, and there was some- 
thing devilish in the cool malignity of his eye. Griff" 
was silent. His frame seemed convulsed Avith some 
emotion of disgust or hatred. The Colonel, turning 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 197 

quickly to me, observed, with an affected suavity, " This 
man may possibly be able to tell you something about 
your mule." 

At this the person referred to drew himself up into an 
erect position, and gave a look at the Colonel — a look 
of such mingled hatred, defiance, and contempt, that I 
expected to see the latter wilt before it or draw his re- 
volver. But he did neither. And here I detected the 
secret of his power over the other two men — imperturb- 
able self-possession. He merely elevated his brows su- 
perciliously as Griff sternly remarked, 

"You know as much of the mule as I do! What do 
you ask me for ? Be careful." 

"Oh," said the Colonel, jocularly, "I thought you 
might have seen him while I was absent. You know 
I'm not in the habit of noticing these things." 

Griff resumed his slouching attitude, stirring the fire 
moodily, while the Colonel requested me to be seated, 
and proceeded to do the honors of the repast. All that 
I have attempted to describe was perfectly quiet; not a 
loud word was spoken, and but for the peculiar expres- 
sion of each face, involving some dark complicity of ex- 
perience, it might have passed unnoticed. There was 
really nothing said that necessarily bore an evil import. 
Yet what was it that filled me with such an indefinable 
abhorrence of these men — of two of them, at least ? That 
they were unprincipled adventurers, I knew ; that they 
were depraved enough to be professed gamblers, high- 
way robbers, or horse thieves, was reasonable to suppose 
from their appearance ; but there was something more 
than that about them. The leader was no common 
gambler or horse-thief. He was too keen, too polished, 
too subtle for that. He might be a forger, a slave specu- 
lator, a dealer in blood-hounds, a gambler in fancy stocks ; 
yet this was no country for the exercise of that sort of 
talent — at least that portion of it which he had chosen 
as a place of temporary abode. He might be on his way 
to the mines. I asked no questions. It was enough to 



108 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

feel the evil influence of the present — enough to know- 
by intuition that the hands of this man were stained with 
some deadly sin. 

Hungry as I was, I could not swallow the bread he 
gave me without a choking sensation of disgust. The 
act of eating with him implied a species of fellowship 
against which my very soul rebelled. 

Of the swarthy man, Jack, I had a different impres- 
sion. He was purely brutal. All his instincts were 
coarse, savage, and depraved. Whatever quickness or 
cunning he possessed was that of an animal. He was 
far inferior to the other in all the essential attributes of 
a successful villain. I looked upon him as upon a vi- 
cious brute. 

For the tall fellow, Griff, I must confess I felt a strange 
sympathy. That he was not naturally depraved, no one 
who looked upon his fine features, and frank, manly 
bearing, could for a moment doubt. He might be dissi- 
pated, reckless, even criminal, but he surely was not all 
bad. There was something of conscience left in him yet 
— some human emotion of remorse. Otherwise, why 
was his expression so strangely sad? Why was it that 
there seemed to be no bond of sympathy between him 
and the others — beyond, perhaps, some complicity in 
crime, either accidental or the result of evil associations ? 
A deadly fascination seemed to be spread over him by 
the leader, against which he struggled in vain. The 
slight outburst of passion which I had witnessed show r ed 
too plainly the powerful thraldom in which he was held. 
His defiant tone — the withering hatred of his eye' — the 
impatient gesture of contempt, were but the moment- 
ary ebullitions of a proud spirit. No sentiment of per- 
sonal fear could have found a place in that manly breast. 
The cause of his submission lay deeper than that. Some- 
thing of self-accusation must have had a share in it, thus 
to paralyze his strength — something more inextricable 
than any web that mortal man could cast over him un- 
aided by a sense of his own iniquity. I could not con- 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 199 

jecture what crime he had committed. Whatever it 
was, I had a strong yearning to befriend him. Surely 
there was still hope for him ; he qould not be utterly 
lost without bearing in his features the impress of un- 
mitigated evil. 

As soon as supper was over, the Colonel lighted his 
pipe and seemed disposed to be sociable. It was impos- 
sible for me to get over the abhorrence I had for this 
man. Even his efforts to be agreeable had something 
sinister in them that increased my dislike. Still, I was 
in the power of these men, whether they chose to exer- 
cise it for good or for evil, and it behooved me to sup- 
press any disrelish I might have for their company. 

"You came from Soledad to-day, I think you said?" 
observed the Colonel. 

" Yes ; I stopped there last night." 

"Did you meet any body on the road?" he asked, 
carelessly. • 

" Only two Spaniards from Santa Marguerita." The 
Colonel started. 

" Any news from below ?" 
« "None that I could understand. I don't speak the 
Spanish language." 

" You heard nothing from San Miguel ?" 

"No." 

" Which way are you bound, if I may take the liberty 
of asking ?" 

" To San Luis. I have business there connected with 
the revenue service. Unfortunately, my mule has disap- 
peared with my blankets, coat, pistol, what little money 
I had, and my official papers, which are of no use to any 
body but myself. I fear the loss will subject me to great 
inconvenience." 

"You are aware, I suppose," said the Colonel, with 
the same disagreeable smile I had before noticed, " that 
the road is considered a little dangerous for solitary 
travelers. Murders have been committed between this 
and San Miguel." 



200 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

"Any lately?" I asked, assuming more composure 
than I felt. 

" Why as for that," replied the Colonel, making an ef- 
fort to be humorous, "it would be hard for me to keep 
the run of all I hear in this part of the country. Society 
is rather backward, and the newspapers do not keep us 
advised of the current events of the day." 

Here there was a pause. I felt convinced that this 
man was capable of any deed, however dark and damn- 
ing. Even while he spoke his fingers played with the 
butt of a revolver that hung from his belt. Something- 
caught my eye as his hand moved — a small silver star 
near the lock of the pistol. This was not an ordinary 
mark. I at once knew the pistol to be mine. A friend 
had given it to me. The star was a fanciful device of 
his own, based upon the idea that its rays would guide 
the bullet to its destination. The Colonel detected my 
inquisitive glance, and smiled again in his peculiar way, 
but said nothing. If I had any doubt on the subject be- 
fore, I now felt quite satisfied that he was not only a vil- 
lain, but one who would not hesitate to take my life if it 
would serve his purpose. Whether his thoughts ran hw 
that direction at present I could not determine. He pos- 
sessed a wonderful power of inspiring dark impressions 
without uttering a word. The mere suspicion of such a 
design was at least unpleasant. At length he rose, hav- 
ing finished smoking his pipe, and with an air of indiffer- 
ence said, 

" It must be getting late. Have you the time, sir ?" 

I pulled out my watch, scarcely conscious of the act, 
and remarked that it wanted a few minutes of nine. 

" A nice-looking watch, that !" observed the Colonel. 
"It must be worth a hundred dollars." 

" Yes, more than that," I answered ; for I saw at once 
that any manifestation of suspicion would be the last 
thing to answer my purpose. "It cost $150 in New 
York. It is a genuine chronometer, and the casing is 
of solid gold." 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 201 

The Colonel exchanged glances with the swarthy man, 
Jack, and proposed to go out and take a look at the 
horses. Before they had proceeded fifty yards they stop- 
ped and looked back. Griff" had been sitting moodily 
before the fire during the conversation above related, and 
did not seem disposed to move at the summons of his 
leader, who now called sharply to him to come on. The 
same expression of defiant hatred that I had noticed be- 
fore flashed from the man's eyes, and for a moment he 
seemed to struggle against the Colonel's malign influ- 
ence. " Come !" said the latter, sharply, " what do you 
lag behind for ? You know your duty !" 

" Yes," muttered Griff, between his set teeth, " I know 
it ! It is hardly necessary to remind me of it." He 
then rose and proceeded to join his comrades. As he 
passed by where I sat he hurriedly whispered, " Stay 
where you are. Don't attempt to escape yet. Depend 
upon me — IHl stand by you /" 



CHAPTER V. 

THE ESCAPE. 

It may readily be conceived that my sensations were 
not the most pleasant during the absence of the three 
men in whose power I was so strangely and unexpected- 
ly placed. That two of them were quite capable of mur- 
dering me, if they had not already made up their minds 
to do so, was beyond question. I looked around, and 
saw to my dismay that they scarcely took the trouble to 
•conceal the robbery they had already perpetrated. My 
blankets lay under a tree not over fifteen steps from the 
fire, and my coat and saddle were carelessly thrown 
among the common camp equipments in the same place. 
What could one unarmed man do against three, or even 
two, fully armed desperadoes ? My first impulse was to 
steal away, now that there was a chance — perhaps the 

12 



202 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY 

only one I might have — and conceal myself in the bush- 
es till morning, then endeavor to make my way along 
the bed of the creek to Soledad. Better trust to the 
grizzly bears than to such men as the Colonel and Jack. 
But it was more than probable they were thoroughly 
acquainted with every thicket and trail in the country, 
and would not be long in overtaking me on horseback. 
There was another serious consideration : I coiild not 
well afford to lose my mule, money, and papers. The 
latter were of incalculable value, and could not be re- 
placed. I had no idea that they had been suffered to re- 
main in my coat pocket. So adroit a speculator as the 
Colonel must have ascertained their contents and placed 
them beyond danger of recovery. Besides, the man 
Griff had warned me not to attempt an escape yet. 
Was he to be trusted ? Surely I could not be deceived 
in him. What object could he have in warning me un- 
less to provide for my safety ? 

These considerations were unanswerable. I determ- 
ined to remain and abide the issue. 

It is said that danger sharpens men's wits. I believe 
it ; for while there was ample reason to suppose these 
men were deliberating upon my destruction, a scheme 
flashed upon my mind which I at once resolved to carry 
into eftect. Up to this period I had given them a plain 
statement of my misfortune. They evidently regarded 
me as a very simple-minded and inexperienced traveler. 
Nothing could be easier than to improve upon that idea. 

As soon as they returned and resumed their places 
around the fire, I made some casual inquiries of the Col- 
onel about the route from San Miguel to San Luis Obis- 
po, professing to be exceedingly anxious to reach the 
latter place within five or six days. 

The Colonel was bland and obliging as usual, giving 
me, without reserve, full particulars in regard to the 
route. 

" But what's your hurry ?" said he, smiling in his ac- 
customed manner ; " why not stay with us a few days 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 203 

and make yourself comfortable ? The weather is rather 
warm for so long a pedestrian tour — unless, indeed, 
something is to be made by it." This he said with a 
low chuckle and a significant glance at the fellow with 
the thick neck. 

" That is precisely why I want to get on," I answered ; 
" a great deal is to be made by it if I get there in time, 
and a great deal lost if I don't. A vessel laden with for- 
eign goods has gone ashore on the beach below the Em- 
barcadera. I have advices that most of the cargo is 
saved. The duties, according to a copy of the manifest 
forwarded to the Cnstom-house at San Francisco, amount 
to over ten thousand dollars. The supercargo writes 
that he can sell out on advantageous terms at San Luis, 
provided he can pay the duties there to some authorized 
officer of the government within the period named. I 
am on my way down to receive the money. If I can get 
back with it to San Francisco within ten or twelve days, 
it will be of considerable advantage to the government 
as well as to myself. Unfortunately, there is no water 
communication at present, or I might gain time by taking 
a vessel. However, I apprehend no difficulty in being- 
able to hire a mule at San Miguel. As for the stories of 
robbery and murder on the road, I have no faith in them. 
At all events, I am not afraid to try the experiment." 

This communication made # an evident impression upon 
the minds of the Colonel and Jack, both of whom listen- 
ed with intense interest. The man Griff looked a little 
puzzled, but a casual glance reassured him : he at once 
caught at my meaning. I could see that the Colonel 
was embarrassed as to w r hat course to pursue in refer- 
ence to the stolen property. Pie held down his head for 
some time, pretending to be occupied in clearing the 
stem of his pipe, but it was apparent that he was in con- 
siderable perplexity. Deep and guarded as he was, it 
was not difficult to conjecture what was passing in his 
mind. There was now a strong inducement for permit- 
ting me to proceed on my journey. The prospect of se- 



204 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

curing ten thousand dollars was worthy of some risk; 
yet, if he acknowledged the stealing of my mule and 
other property, it was not likely I would again place 
myself in his power. On the other hand, I had seen the 
pistol, and must have some suspicion of the true state of 
the case. 

I have often observed that men deeply versed in vil- 
lainy, while they possess a certain sort of sagacity, are 
deficient in the perception of character when it involves 
a more comprehensive knowledge of human nature than 
usually falls within the limits of their individual experi- 
ence. They are quick to detect every species of vulgar 
trickery, but their capacity to cope with straightforward 
truth is limited. They suspect either too much or too 
little, and lose confidence in their own penetration. With 
men like themselves they understand how to deal — they 
know by intuition the governing motives ; but simplicity 
and frankness are weapons to which they are not accus- 
tomed. A direct statement of facts, in which they can 
see no motive of prudence, sets them at fault. They can 
analyze well through a dark atmosphere, but, like night- 
birds, have very dim perceptive powers in daylight. 

While the Colonel could discover no interested motive 
in my simple statement respecting the loss of a vessel on 
the coast (of which he had probably heard from other 
sources), and could see no reason why I should not be 
simple enough to come back with a large sum of money, 
since I had been simple enough to lose a valuable mule 
and exhibit a valuable watch, he nevertheless seemed un- 
able to extricate himself from suspicion in reference to 
the pistol — the only article of my property which he had 
reason to suppose I had seen. He could easily have said 
that he had found it on the trail ; but he was not skilled 
in degrees of innocence. He had deferred his explana- 
tion too long, and, judging by himself, could not imagine 
that any other person would credit so flimsy a statement. 
In this he was correct, but his one-sided sagacity led 
him into puzzling inconsistencies. 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 205 

To lull all suspicion on this point was indispensable to 
the success of my plan. The apparent confidence which 
I had manifested in the good faith of the party tended 
greatly to prevent the leader from coming to a satisfac- 
tory conclusion. So at least it appeared to me, as I 
watched the uncertain movements of his hands and the 
changing expression of his countenance. He was evi- 
dently aware that I had seen the star on the handle of 
the pistol, yet my conduct indicated no suspicion. It 
was necessary that I should remove whatever doubt on 
the subject might be lurking in his mind. With this in 
view, I took occasion to renew the conversation relative 
to the route, stating that although I apprehended little 
danger, it was still an awkward position to be entirely 
without arms in a strange country. 

"The loss of my pistol," said I, "is a serious incon- 
venience. It must have fallen from my belt when the 
mule threw me, and become covered with dust. I could 
go back and find the place, but that would occupy near- 
ly half a day, and I can not afford to lose the time. The 
only particular value the pistol has is that it is a present 
from a friend who belonged to the Order of the Lone 
Star of Texas. The badge of the Association is marked 
upon the handle, as usual with arms belonging to the 
members." 

"Yes," said the Colonel, after a pause, "I once be- 
longed to that Order myself, and have a pistol similarly 
marked." 

"Perhaps you would be wulling to dispose of it?" I 
observed. " Not that I have any money, but I would 
cheerfully give my watch for a good pistol, which would 
be at least three times its value." 

"My dear sir," said the Colonel, affecting an air of in- 
jured pride, "you certainly can not be aware that a 
member of the Lone Star never sells or barters his arms. 
Any thing else, but not his weapons of personal defense.' 
Fortunately, however, I have a spare revolver, which is 
entirely at your service. As for your watch, I should be 



20G A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

sorry to deprive you of so useful an article, and one 
which would be of no value to myself. Time is of little 
consequence to men who are accustomed to spend it as 
they please, and whose chief dependence is on the sun, 
moon, and stars." 

I accepted the proffered gift, as may be supposed, with- 
out the slightest qualms of conscience in depriving the 
donor of so valuable a piece of property ; and having ex- 
pressed my thanks, noticed that, while pretending to 
search for the pistol among the camp equipments, he 
took care to cover up my blanket and coat. 

The Colonel soon returned to the fire, and handed me 
a very handsome revolver, a belt, powder-flask, and small 
leather bag containing caps, balls, and other necessary 
appendages. It struck me as a little strange that, hav- 
ing apparently made up his mind to let me depart, he 
had not offered to lend me an animal to ride upon ; but 
a moment's reflection satisfied me that there was good 
cause for this. There could be no doubt, from the char- 
acter of the party, that the horses were stolen, and would 
be recognized on the road. Besides, he knew I could 
easily hire a horse or mide at San Miguel. 

After this I observed that the Colonel took occasion 
to speak a few words to Jack, the import of which I 
could only conjecture had some reference to my papers. 
Jack answered aloud, " Yes, the grass is bad there. I'll 
go put my mustang in another place." Pie then walked 
away, and the Colonel busied himself in preparing our 
sleeping quarters for the night. 

It was nearly eleven o'clock. In about fifteen minutes 
Jack returned, and we all lay down in different direc- 
tions, within a short distance of the fire. A saddle-blank- 
et, kindly furnished by my chief entertainer, enabled me 
to make quite a comfortable bed. 

The night was mild and pleasant. A clear sky, span- 
gled with stars, was visible through the tops of the trees, 
and never had I seen it look so beautifully serene. Could 
it be that guilt could slumber peacefully under that heav- 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 207 

enly canopy? Surely the evil spirit must be strong in 
the hearts of men who, unconscious of the reproving pu- 
rity of such a night, could thus forget their sins, and lie 
calmly sleeping upon the bosom of their mother earth. 
How deadened by a long career of crime must conscience 
be in the breast of him who, steeped in guilt, could thus, 
in the presence of his Maker, 

" O'erlabored with his being's strife, 
Sink to that sweet forgetfulness of life !" 

Neither the Colonel nor the man Jack moved an inch 
after taking their places. I almost envied them their 
capacity to sleep, so gentle and profound was their obliv- 
ion to the world and all its cares. To me this refreshing 
luxury was denied. My fate seemed to hang upon a 
thread. I could not feel any confidence in these men. 
They might become suspicious at any moment, and mur- 
der me as I lay helpless before them. For over two 
hours I watched them ; they never moved. The proba- 
ble fact was, they had made up their minds not to molest 
me, in view of the large sum of money I expected to col- 
lect at San Luis. My course seemed clear enough. But 
here was the difficulty. I could do nothing without my 
papers. Nor was I content to lose my mule, saddle, and 
blankets, which I knew to be in their possession. 

The tall man, Griff, was restless, and turned repeatedly, 
moaning in his sleep, " God have pity on me ! Oh God, 
have pity on me !" 

It was a sad sight to behold him. No mortal eye 
could fathom the sufferings that thus moved him. Truly, 
" Tlie mind that broods o'er guilty woes 
Is like a scorpion girt by fire." 

At length — it must have been about an hour before 
day — he arose, looked cautiously around, and, seeing all 
quiet, beckoned to me, and stealthily left the camp. On 
his way out he gathered up my blanket, saddle, and coat 
in his arms, and looked back to see if I had taken the 
hint. I lost no time in slipping from my covering, and 
following his receding figure. It was a trying moment. 



208 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

I expected to see the other two men rise, and held my 
pistol ready for defense. In a few minutes we were be- 
yond immediate danger of discovery. 

" Now," said Griff — " now is your time. Here is your 
mule. Mount him and be off! They will undertake to 
pursue you as soon as they discover your absence ; but 
I shall loose the riatas, and it will take them some time 
to catch the horses. You will find your papers on the 
trail as soon as you strike the plain. Get to San Miguel, 
and you are safe. They dare not go there ; but dorft 
stop on the way" 

While he was talking Griff fixed my saddle and pack 
on the mule, and I mounted without loss of time. What 
could I do to reward this noble fellow ? In the hurry 
of the moment I handed him my watch. 

" Friend," said I, " you have done me an inestimable 
service. Take this trifle as a keepsake, and with it my 
best thanks. You and I may never meet again." 

" No, it is not likely we shall," said Griff, sadly. " Our 
ways are different. Keep your watch ; I can't accept it. 
All I ask of you is not to judge me harshly. Good-by !" 

The impulse to serve this unfortunate man was irresist- 
ible. I could not leave him thus. It was no idle curios- 
ity that prompted me to probe the mystery of his con- 
duct. 

"In heaven's name, friend, why do you stay with 
these bad men ? What unholy power have they over 
you ? Leave them, I implore you — leave them at once 
and forever. Come with me. I will do all I can for 
you. Surely you are not too far gone in crime for re- 
pentance. The vilest sinner may be saved !" 

The poor fellow's frame was convulsed with agony. 
He sobbed like a child, and for a moment seemed unable 
to speak. Suddenly, as if recollecting himself, he said, 

" No, sir, I can not turn traitor. It is no use — I am 
gone beyond redemption. Their fate must be mine. 
God pity me ! I struggled hard against the evil spirit, 
but he has conquered. I am gone, sir — gone ! Yet, 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 209 

believe me, I am not wholly depraved — a criminal in the 
eyes of the law ; a robber ; an outcast from society and 
civilization ; but (here he lowered his voice to a whisper) 
— but not a murderer. Oh God, pity me ! My mother 
— my poor old mother !" 

This was all. The next moment he turned away, and 
was lost in the gloom of the trees. 



CHAPTER VI. 

A LONELY RIDE. 

As I struck into the trail and out into the broad val- 
ley of the Salinas a sense of freedom relieved me in some 
degree of the gloom inspired by the last words of this 
strangely unfortunate man. The stars were shining 
brightly overhead, but the moon had gone down some 
time previously. It was just light enough to see the 
way. A small white object lying in the trail caused the 
mule to start. In the excitement of my escape I had 
forgotten about the papers. Here they were, all safe. 
I had no doubt they had been thus disposed of by the 
ruffian Jack during the previous evening when he took 
occasion to absent himself from the cam}?. I quickly 
dismounted and placed the package securely in the leg 
of one of my boots, then pushed on with all speed to 
reach a turning-point of the mountains some distance 
ahead, in order to be out of sight by the dawn of day, 
which could not be far off. In about an hour I had 
gained this point, and at the same time the first faint 
streaks of the coming day began to appear in the eastern 
sky. The air was peculiarly balmy — cool enough to be 
pleasant, and deliriously odorous with the herbage of the 
mountains. Already the deer began to leave their cov- 
erts among the shrubbery on the hill-sides, and numer- 
ous bands of them stood gazing at me as I passed, their 
antlers erect, their beautiful forms motionless* as if hewn 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. ■_> i ; 

from the solid rock, but manifesting more curiosity than 
fear. Thousands of rabbits frisked about in the open 
glades, and innumerable flocks of quail flitted from bush 
to bush. The field-larks and doves made the air musical 
with their joyous hymns of praise to the rising sun ; the 
busy hum of bees rose among the wild flowers by the 
wayside ; all nature seemed to awake from its repose 
smiling with a celestial joy. In no other country upon 
earth have I seen such mornings as in the interior of 
California — so clear, bright, and sparkling — so rich and 
glowing in atmospheric tints — so teeming with unbound- 
ed opulence in all that gives vigor, health, and beauty to 
animated nature, and inspiration to the higher faculties 
of man. There is a redundancy of richness in the earth, 
air, and light unknown even in that land of fascination 
which is said to possess " the fatal gift of beauty." 

Contrasted with the dark spirit of crime that hung 
over my late encampment, such a morning was inexpress- 
ibly lovely. Every breath of air — every sound that broke 
upon the listening ear — every thought of the vast wild 
plains and towering mountains that swept around me in 
the immeasurable distance, inspired vague and unutter- 
able sensations of pleasure and pain — pleasure that I was 
free and capable of enjoying such exquisite physical and 
mental luxuries ; pain that here, on God's own footstool, 

"All but the spirit of man was divine." 
As the sun rose, and spread over mountain and valley a 
drapery of glowing light, giving promise of continued 
life to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field, I 
could not but think with sadness how man — made after 
God's own image, the most perfect of his works, gifted 
with reason and intelligence — should so strangely turn 
aside from the teachings of his Maker, and cast away the 
pure enjoyments so bountifully spread before him. Was 
it possible that a single created being, however steeped 
in crime, could be insensible to the soothing and human- 
izing influences of such a scene? 

The unhappy fate of the poor fellow to whom I was 



212 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

so deeply indebted haunted me. He, at least, must have 
felt the better promptings of his inner nature amid these 
beautiful works of a beneficent Creator. Surely such 
a man could never be utterly lost. There were noble 
traits in his character that must, some time or other, as- 
sert their supremacy. Honorable even in his degrada- 
tion, he scorned to turn traitor to men whom he despised. 
His was not a nature formed for cruel and crafty deeds. 
Frank, manly, and ingenuous in his whole bearing, there 
was evidence of innate nobility in his misguided sense of 
honor, and a manifest scorn of deception in his wild out- 
bursts of passion. What could have driven him to this 
career of crime ? What satanic power was that by which 
he was enthralled ? I could not believe that he was vol- 
untarily bad. That single outburst of emotion as he 
spoke of his mother would have redeemed him had he 
been the worst of criminals. A career of dissipation 
must have brought him to this. He was evidently com- 
promised, but to what extent ? Some painful mystery 
hung over his connection with these bad men — I could 
not fathom it. The more I reflected upon all I had seen 
and heard, the more profound became my sympathy ; 
nor is it an affectation of generosity to say that I would 
have sacrificed much to have saved him. Yet this man's 
case was not an uncommon one in California. There 
were many there, even at that early period, and there are 
still many, who, with the noblest attributes that adorn 
human nature, have become castaways. 

As the day advanced a mai'ked change became per- 
ceptible in the character of the country. Passing out 
from the valley of the Salinas to the right, the trail en- 
tered a series of smaller valleys, winding from one to an- 
other through a succession of narrow caiions between 
low, gravelly hills, destitute of shrubbery, and of a pecul- 
iarly whitish and barren aspect. The scene was no lon- 
ger enlivened by bands of deer and smaller game, such as 
I had seen in the morning ; the birds had also disappear- 
ed ; not a living thing was in sight save a few buzzards 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 213 

hovering in the ah- over the bleached and sterile hills, 
and occasionally a coyote or wild-cat skulking stealthily 
across the trail. Toward noon the earth became like a 
fiery furnace. The air was scorching. In the narrow 
passages, where the hills converged into a focns, cutting 
off every current of air, the refraction of the sun's rays 
was absolutely terrific. It seemed as if my very clothing 
must crisp into tinder and drop from my body. The 
skin peeled from my face and hands ; a thick woolen hat 
was insufficient to keep the fierce and seething heat from 
my head, and I sometimes feared I would be smitten to 
the earth. Not knowing the water-holes, or rather hav- 
ing no time to look for them, I was parched with an in- 
tolerable thirst. On every eminence I turned to look 
back, but nothing was in sight save the dreary waste of 
barren hills that lay behind. 

Toward evening, having stopped only a few minutes 
at a pool of water, my mule began to lag again. I had 
no spurs, and it was utterly in vain that I urged him on 
by kicks and blows. His greatest speed was a slow trot, 
and to keep that up for a few hundred yards at a time 
required my utmost efforts. By sundown I estimated 
that the distance to San Miguel must be twelve or fifteen 
miles. It was a very unpleasant position to be in — pur- 
sued, as I had every reason to suppose, by men who 
would not hesitate to take my life, yet unable to acceler- 
ate the sjDeed of my animal. All I could do was to con- 
tinue beating him. 

The country became still more lonesome and desolate 
as I advanced. The chances of beino- overtaken mo- 
mentarily increased. My anxiety to reach San Miguel 
caused me to forget all the sufferings of fatigue and 
thirst, and strain every nerve to get my mule over the 
ground. But the greater the effort the slower he trav- 
eled. It was true, I had a pistol, and could make some 
defense. Yet the chances were greatly against me. 
Unskilled in this sort of warfare, an indifferent rider, 
unacquainted with the trails by which I might be cut off 



214 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

and surprised, it seemed indeed a very hopeless case, 
should such an emergency arise. Besides, it would be 
very little satisfaction to shoot one, or even two men, 
against whom I felt 'no enmity, and whose lives were 
worth nothing to me, and still less to get killed myself. 
The truth is, I had a particular relish for life; others 
were interested in it as well as myself, and I did not feel 
disposed to risk it unnecessarily. 

The sun went down at last, and the soft shadows of 
night began to soften the asperities of the scene. I rode 
on, never once relaxing my efforts to get a little more 
speed out of my mule. The moon rose, and innumerable 
stars twinkled in the sky. The air became delightfully 
balmy. Long shadows of rocks and trees swept across 
the trail. Mystic forms seemed to flit through the dim 
distance, or stand like ghostly sentinels along the way- 
side. Often I fancied I could see men on horseback sta- 
tioned under the overhanging rocks, and detect the glit- 
ter of their arms in the moonlight. Stumps of trees 
riven by the storms of winter loomed up among the 
rocks like grim spectres; the very bushes assumed fan- 
tastic forms, and waved their long arms in gestures of 
warning. The howling of innumerable coyotes and the 
hooting of the night-owls had a singularly weird effect 
in the stillness of the night. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE ATTACK. 

It must have been nearly ten o'clock when my mule 
suddenly stopped, turned around, and set up that peculiar 
nickering bray by which these animals hail the approach 
of strangers. As soon as he ceased his unwelcome noise 
I listened, and distinctly heard the clatter of hoofs in the 
road, about half a mile in the rear. That my pursuers 
were rapidly approaching there was now very little 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 215 

doubt. It was useless to attempt to reach Sau Miguel, 
which must be still four or five miles distant. I had no 
time, and resolved at once to make for a little grove some 
three or four hundred yards to the right. As I approach- 
ed the nearest trees I was rejoiced to see something like 
a fence. A little farther on was a gray object with a 
distinct outline. It must be a house. There was no 
light ; but I soon discovered that I was within fifty yards 
of a small adobe building. My mule now pricked up his 
ears, snuffed the air wildly, and absolutely refused to 
move a step nearer. I dismounted, and tried to drag him 
toward the door. His terror seemed unconquerable. 
With starting eyes, and a wild blowing sound from his 
nostrils, he broke away and dashed out into the plain. 
I speedily lost sight of him. 

This time I had taken the precaution to secure my pa- 
pers and pistol on my person. The mule had taken the 
direction of San Miguel ; but, even should I be unable to 
recover him, the loss would not be so great as before. 
However, it was no time to calculate losses. The clatter 
of hoofs grew nearer and nearer, and soon the advancing 
forms of two mounted men became distinctly visible in 
the moonlight. There was no alternative but to seek 
security in the old adobe. I ran for the door and push- 
ed it open. The house was evidently untenanted. No 
answer was made to my summons save a mocking echo 
from the bare walls. My pursuers must have caught 
sight of me as they approached. I could hear their im- 
precations as they tried to force their animals up to the 
door. One of the party — the Colonel, whose voice I had 
no difficulty in recognizing, said, 

" Blast the fellow ! what did he come here for ?" 
The other answered with an oath and a brutal laugh, 
" We've got him holed, any how. It won't take long 
to root him out." 

They then dismounted and proceeded to tie their 
horses to the nearest tree. I could hear them talk as 
they receded, but could not make out what they said. 



216 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

While this was going on I had closed the dooi-, and 
was looking for some bolt or fastening, when I heard the 
low, fierce growl of some animal. There was no time to 
conjecture what it was ; the next moment a furry skin 
brushed past, and the animal sprang through an opening 
in the wall. 

A wooden bar was all I could find ; but the iron fast- 
ening had been broken, and the only way of securing 
the door was to brace the bar against it in a diagonal 
position. The floor was of rough hard clay, and served 
in some sort to prevent the brace from slipping. A few 
moments of painful anxiety passed. I had drawn my 
revolver, and stood close against the inner wall, prepared 
to fire upon the first man that entered. Presently the 
two men returned, approaching stealthily along the wall, 
so as to avoid coming in range of the door. The sharp, 
hard voice of the Colonel first broke the silence. 

" Come," said he, " open the door ! You can't help 
yourself now ! It is all up with you, my fine fellow!" 

I knew the villains wanted to find my position, and 
made no answer. 

"You may as well come out at once," said the Colonel*, 
"you have no chance. There is nobody here to stand 
by you as there was last night. Your friend is keeping 
camp with a bullet through his head and a gash in his 
throat." 

Pressed as I was, this news shocked me beyond meas- 
ure. The unfortunate man who had befriended me had 
paid the penalty of his life for his kindness. 

" Out with you !" roared the Colonel, fiercely, " or 
we'll burst the door down. Come, be quick !" 

Another pause. I heard a low whispering, and stood 
with breathless anxiety with my finger upon the trigger 
of my pistol. In that brief period it was wonderful how 
many thoughts flashed through my mind.. I knew noth- 
ing of the construction of the house ; had no time even 
to look .around and see if there was any back entrsince. 
A faint light through one small window-hole in front, 



; 




K 



218 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

within three feet of the door, was all I could discern. 
Every nerve was strained to its utmost tension. My 
sense of hearing was painfully acute. The low whisper- 
ing of the two ruffians, the faint jingling of their spurs, 
the very creaking of their boots, as they stealthily moved, 
was fearfully audible. With an almost absolute certain- 
ty of death, without the remotest hope of relief, it was 
strange how my thoughts wandered back upon the past; 
how the peaceful fireside of home was pictured to my 
mind ; how vividly I saw the beloved faces of kindred 
and friends ; how all that were dear to me seemed to 
sympathize in my unhappy fate. Yet it was impossible 
to realize that my time had come. The whole thing — the 
camp, the dark, murderous faces, the chase, the blockade 
— resembled rather some horrible fantasy than the dread 
truth. Strange, too, that I should have noticed some- 
thing even grotesque in my situation ; run into a hole, as 
the ruffian Jack had said, like a coyote or a badger. 
Five minutes — it seemed a long time — must have passed 
in this way, when I became conscious of a gradual dark- 
ening in the room. A low, heavy breathing attracted 
my attention. I looked in the direction of the window, 
and thought I could detect something moving ; but the 
darkness was so impenetrable that it might be the result 
of imagination. Should I fire and miss my mark, the 
flash would reveal my position and be certain destruc- 
tion. The dark mass again moved. I could distinctly 
hear the respiration. It must be one of the men trying 
to get in through the small window-hole. I raised my 
pistol, took dead aim as near as possible upon the centre 
of the object, and fired. The fall of a heavy body outside, 
a groan, an imprecation, was all I could hear, when a tre- 
mendous effort was made to force the door, and two shots 
were fired through it in quick succession. The wood 
was massive, but much decayed ; and I saw that it was 
rapidly giving way before the furious assaults that were 
made upon it from the outside, evidently with a heavy 
piece of timber. Another lunge or two of this powerful 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 219 

battering-ram must have borne it from its binges or shat- 
tered it to fragments. 

"Hold on, Jack!" said the wounded man in a low 
voice ; " come here, quick ! The infernal fool has shot 
me through the shoulder ! I'm bleeding badly." 

The ruffian dropped his bar, as I judged by the sound, 
and turned to drag his leader out of range of the door. 
Now was the time for a bold move. Hitherto I had 
acted on the defensive ; but every thing depended on 
following up the advantage. Removing the brace from 
the door, I made an opening sufficient to get a glimpse 
of the two men. The stout fellow, Jack, was stooping- 
down, dragging the other toward the corner of the 
house. I fired again. The ball was too low; it missed 
his body, but must have shattered his wrist ; for, with 
a horrible oath, he dropped his burden, and staggered 
back a few paces writhing with pain, his hand covered 
with blood. Before I could get another shot he darted 
behind the house. At the same time the Colonel rose 
on his knee, turned 'quickly, and fired. The ball whizzed 
by my head and struck the door. While I was trying 
to get a shot at him in return, he jumped to his feet and 
staggered out of range. I thought it best now to rest 
satisfied with my success so far, and again retired to my 
position behind the door. 

For the next ten or fifteen minutes I could hear, from 
time to time, the smothered imprecations of the wounded 
ruffians, but after this there was a dead silence. I heard 
nothing more. They had either gone or were lying in 
wait near by, supposing I would come out. This uncer- 
tainty caused me considerable anxiety, for I dared not 
abandon my gloomy retreat. Two or three hours must 
have passed in this way, during which I was constantly 
on the guard ; but not the slightest indication of the 
presence of the enemy was perceptible. 

Two nights had neai-ly passed, during which I had not 
closed my eyes in sleep. The perpetual strain of mind 
and the fatigue of travel were beginning to tell. I felt 



220 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

faint and drowsy. During the whole terrible ordeal of 
this night I had not dared to sit down. But now my 
legs refused to support me any longer. I groped my 
Avay toward a corner of the room to lie down. Some 
soft mass on the ground caused me to stumble. I threw 
out my hands and fell. What was it that sent such a 
thrill of horror through every fibre ? A dead body lay 
in my embrace — cold, mutilated, and clotted with blood ! 

It has been my fortune, during a long career of travel 
in foreign lands, to see death in many forms. I do not 
profess to be exempt from the weakness common to most 
men — a natural dread of that undiscovered region to- 
ward which we are all traveling. But I never had any 
peculiar repugnance to the presence of dead men. What 
are they, after all, but inanimate clay ? The living are 
to be feared — not the dead, who sleep the sleep that 
knows no waking. Not this — not the sudden contact 
with a corpse ; not simply the cold and blood-clotted 
face over which I passed my hand was it that caused me 
to recoil with such a thrill of horror. It was the solution 
of a dread mystery. There, in a pool of clotted gore, lay 
the corpse of a murdered man. No need was there to 
conjecture Avho were his murderers. 

I rose up, thoroughly aroused from my drowsiness. 
It was probable others had shared the fate of this man. 
If so, their bodies must be near at hand. I was afraid 
to open the door to let in the light, for, bad as it was to 
be shut up in a dark room with the victim or victims of 
a cruel murder, it was •worse to incur the risk of a simi- 
lar fate by exposing myself. After somewhat recovering 
my composure I groped about, and soon discovered that 
three other bodies were lying in the room : one on a bed 
— a woman with her throat cut from ear to ear — and 
two smaller bodies on the floor near by — children per- 
haps eight or ten years old, but so mutilated that it was 
difficult to tell what they were. Their limbs were almost 
denuded of flesh, and their faces and bodies were torn 
into shapeless masses. This must have been the finish- 



A DANGEKOUS JOURNEY. 221 

ing work of the animal — a coyote no doubt — that had 
startled me with a growl, and bi*oken through the win- 
dow after I had first closed the door. I could also now 
account for the strange manner in which the mule had 
snuffed the air, and his unconquerable terror in approach- 
ing the house. 

Only a few articles of furniture were in the room — a 
bed, two or three broken stools, a frying-pan, coffee-pot, 
and a few other cooking utensils, thrown in a heap near 
the fireplace. There was no other room ; nor was there 
any back entrance, as I had at first apprehended. 

It was a gloomy place enough to spend a night in, 
but there was no help for it. I certainly had less fear of 
the dead than of the living. It could not be over two or 
three hours till morning ; and it was not likely the two 
men, who were seeking my life, would lurk about the 
premises much longer, if they had not long since taken 
their departure, which seemed the most probable. 

I knelt down and commended my soul to God ; then 
stretched myself across the brace against the door, and, 
despite the presence of death, fell fast asleep. It was 
broad daylight when I awoke. The sun's earliest rays 
were pouring into the room through the little window 
and the cracks of the door. A ghastly spectacle was 
revealed — a ghastly array of room-mates lying stiff and 
stark before me. 

From the general appearance of the dead bodies I 
judged them to be an emigrant family from some of the 
Western States. They had probably taken up a tempo- 
rary residence in the old adobe hut after crossing the 
plains by the southern route, and must have had money 
or property of some kind to have inspired the cupidity 
of their murderers. The man was apparently fifty years 
of age ; his skull was split completely open, and his brains 
scattered out upon the earthen floor. The woman was 
doubtless his wife. Her clothes were tofll partly from 
her body, and her head was cut nearly off from her 
shoulders ; besides which, her skull was fractured with 



222 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

some dull instrument, and several ghastly wounds dis- 
figured her person. The bedclothes were saturated with 
blood, now clotted by the parching heat. The two chil- 
dren had evidently been cut down by the blows of an 
axe. Their heads were literally shattered to fragments. 
What the murderers had failed to accomplish in mutila- 
ting the bodies had been completed by some ravenous 
beast of prey — the same, no doubt, already mentioned. 

I saw no occasion to prolong my stay. It was hardly 
probable the Colonel and Jack, wounded as they were, 
would renew their attack. They must have made their 
way back to camp, or at least retired to some part of the 
country where they would incur less risk of capture. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

SAN MIGUEL. 

It was a bright and beautiful morning as I left the 
house and turned toward San Miguel. The contrast be- 
tween the peaceful scene before me and the horrible sight 
I had just witnessed was exceedingly impressive. The 
mellow light of the early sun on the mountains; the 
winding streams fringed with shrubbery; the rich, gold- 
en hue of the valley ; the cattle grazing quietly in the low 
meadows bordering on the Salinas River; the singing 
of the birds in the oak groves, were indescribably re- 
freshing to a fevered mind, and filled my heart with 
thankfulness that I was spared to enjoy them once more. 
Yet I could not but think of what I had witnessed in the 
adobe hut — a whole family cut down by the ruthless 
hands %f murderers who might still be lurking behind 
the bushes on the wayside. Their dreadful crime haunt- 
ed the scene, and its exquisite repose seemed almost a 
cruel mocke^. Do Quincey somewhere remarks that 
he never experienced such profound sensations of sad- 
ness as on a bright summer day, when the very luxuri- 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 223 

ance and maturity of outer life, and the fullness of sun- 
shine that filled the visible world, made the desolation 
and the darkness within the more oppressive. I could 
now well understand the feeling ; and though grief had 
but little part in it, beyond a natural regret for the un- 
happy fate of the murdered family, still it was sad to feel 
the contrast between the purity and beauty of God's 
creation and the willful wickedness of man. 

I had not lost the strong instinct of self-preservation, 
which, so far at least, through the kind aid of Providence, 
had enabled me to preserve my life; and in my. lonely 
walk toward San Miguel I was careful to keep in the open 
valley, and avoid, as much as possible, coming within 
range of the rocks and bushes. In about an hour I saw 
the red tile roofs and motley collection of ruinous old 
buildings that comprised the former missionary station 
of San Miguel. A gang of lean wolfish dogs ran out to 
meet me as I approached, and it was not without diffi- 
culty that I could keep them off without resorting to my 
revolver, which was an alternative that might produce a 
bad impression where I most hoped to meet with a 
friendly reception. As I approached the main buildings 
I was struck with the singularly wild and desolate aspect 
of the place. Not a living being was in sight. The car- 
cass of a dead ox lay in front of the door, upon which a 
voracious brood of buzzards were feeding ; and a coyote 
sat howling on an eminence a little beyond. I walked 
into a dark, dirty room, and called out, in what little 
Spanish I knew, for the man of the house. " Quien es?" 
demanded a gruff voice. I looked in a corner, and saw 
a filthy-looking object, wrapped in a poncho, sitting lazi- 
ly on a bed. By his uncouth manner and forbidding ap- 
pearance I judged him to be the vaquero in charge of the 
place, in which I was not mistaken. With considerable 
difficulty I made him comprehend that I had lost my 
mule, and supposed it had strayed to San Miguel. 

" Quien sabe ? n said the fellow, indifferently. 

Could he not find it ? I would be willing to reward 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 225 

him. I would give him the blankets. I was an Ojicidl, 
and was on my way to San Luis Obispo. To each of 
these propositions the man returned a stupid and yawn- 
ing answer, " Quien sabe — who knows ?" 

Finding nothing to be gained on that point, I asked 
him for something to eat, for I was well-nigh famished 
with hunger. lie pointed lazily to a string of jerked 
beef strung across the rafters. It required but little 
time to select a few dry pieces, and while I was eating 
them the fellow asked me if I had any tobacco. I hand- 
ed him a plug, which speedily produced a good effect, 
for he got up and passed me a plate of cold tortillas. 
When I had somewhat satisfied the cravings of hunger, 
I asked him, in my broken Spanish, if he had heard of 
the murder — five persons killed in an old adobe house 
near by. " Quien sabe?" said he, in the same indifferent 
tone. "Jfuehos malJws hombres <aqui" This was all 
he knew, or professed to know, of the murder. 

" Amigo," said I, " if you'll get my mule and bring him 
here, I'll give you this watch." 

He took the watch and examined it carefully, handed 
it back, and remarked as before, "Quien sabe?" The 
glitter of the gold, however, seemed to quicken his per- 
ceptive faculties to this extent that he got up from the 
bed, put on his spurs, took a riata from a peg on the wall, 
and walked out, leaving me to entertain myself as I 
thought proper during his absence. 

Having finished a substantial repast of jerked beef and 
tortillas, I went out and rambled about among the ruins 
for nearly an hour. A few lazy and thriftless Indians, 
lying in the sun here and there, were all the inhabitants 
of the place I could see. This ranch must have been a 
very desirable residence in former times. The climate 
is charming, except that if was a little warm in summer, 
and the cattle ranges are richly clothed with grass and 
very extensive. 

In about an hour my friend the vaquero came back, 
mounted on a broncho or wild horse, leading after him 
K2 




A SPANISH OAUALLKRO. 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 227 

my mule, with the pack unchanged. From what I could 
understand, he had found the mule entangled by the bri- 
dle in the bushes, some three miles on the trail toward 
San Luis. According to promise, I handed him my 
watch. He took it and examined it again, then handed 
it back without saying a word. 

" Amigo" said I, " the watch is yours. I promised it 
to you if you found my mule." 

To this he merely shrugged his shoulders. 

"Won't you take it? I have no money." 

"No, seiior," said he, at length, with a somewhat 
haughty air, "I am a Spanish gentleman." 

" Oh, I beg your pardon. Will you do me the favor, 
then, to accept a plug of tobacco?" 

I opened my pack and handed him a large plug of the 
finest pressed Cavendish. 

" Mil gracias /" said the Spanish gentleman, smiling 
affably, and making a condescending inclination of the 
head. " That suits me better. A watch is bad property 
here. I don't want to be killed yet a while." 

Here was a hint of his reason for declining the proffer- 
ed reward. But he did it very grandly ; and I was quite 
willing to accord to him the title of Seiior Caballero to 
which he aspired, though he certainly looked as unlike 
the Caballeros described by the learned Fray Antonio 
Agapida, who went out to make war upon the Moors of 
Granada, as one distinguished individual can look unlike 
another. 

There was ample reason why I should regard my mule 
with dissatisfaction. All my misfortunes, so far, had aris- 
en from his defective jmysical and mental organization 
(if I may use the term in reference to such an animal) ; 
but the fact is, it has been my fate, as far back as I can 
recollect, to have the worst stock in the country foisted 
upon me. Never yet, up to this hour, have I succeeded 
in purchasing a sound, safe, and reliable animal — except, 
indeed, an old horse that I once owned in Oakland, gen- 
erally known in the neighborhood as Selim the Steady 



228 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

— a name derived from his unconquerable propensity for 
remaining in the stable, or getting back to it as soon as 
ever he left the premises. 

The vaquero, or, as he aspired to be called, the Cabal- 
lero, offered to barter his broncho for my mule, and, as 
an inducement, set him to bucking all over the ground 
within a circle of fifty yards, merely to show the spirit 
of the animal, of which I was so well satisfied that I de- 
clined the barter. 



CHAPTER IX. 

A DANGEROUS ADVENTURE. 

Bidding my worthy friend a kindly "adios," I mount- 
ed the mule and pursued my journey toward San Luis. 
The country, for many miles after leaving San Miguel, 
was very wild and picturesque. Blue mountains loomed 
up in the distance ; and the trail passed through a series 
of beautifully undulating valleys, sometimes extensive 
and open, but often narrowed down to a mere gorge be- 
tween the irregular spurs of the mountains. Game was 
very abundant, especially quail and rabbits. I saw also 
several fine herds of deer, and occasionally bands of large 
red wolves. It was a very lonesome road all the way to 
the valley of Santa Marguerita, not a house or human 
being to be seen for twenty miles at a stretch. Toward 
evening, on the first day after leaving San Miguel, I de- 
scended the bed of a creek to water my mule. While 
looking for the water-hole, I heard some voices, and sud- 
denly found myself close by a camp of Sonoranians. It 
was too late to retreat, for I was already betrayed by 
the braying of my mule. Upon riding into the camp I 
was struck with the savage and picturesque group be- 
fore me, consisting of some ten or a dozen Sonoranians. 
It is doing them no more than justice to say that they 
were the most villainous, cut-throat, ill-favored looking 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 229 

gang of vagabonds I bad ever laid eyes upon. Some 
were smoking cigarritos by the fire, others lying all 
about the trees playing cards, on their ragged saddle- 
blankets, with little piles of silver before them ; and 
those that were not thus occupied were capering around 
on wild horses, breaking them apparently, for the blood 
streamed from the nostrils and flanks of the unfortunate 
animals, and they were covered with a reeking sweat. 

Probably it may be thought that I exceeded the truth 
when I asked this promising party if they had seen six 
"Americanos" pass that way with a pack-train from San 
Luis, friends of mine that I was on the look-out for. 
They had seen no such pack-train ; it had not passed 
since they camped there, which was several days ago. 

"Then," said I, "it must be close at hand, and I must 
hurry on to meet it. The mules are laden with mucha 
plata." 

Having watered my mule, I rode on about five miles 
farther, where I reached a small ranch-house occupied 
by a native Californian family. They gave me a good 
supper of frijoles and jerked beef, and I slept comforta- 
bly on the porch. 

Next day I struck into the Valley of Santa Marguerita. 
I shall never forget my first impression of this valley. 
Encircled by ranges of blue mountains were broad, rich 
pastures, covered with innumerable herds of cattle ; beau- 
tifully diversified with groves, streams, and shrubbery ; 
castellated cliffs in the foreground as the trail wound 
downward ; a group of cattle grazing by the margin of 
a little lake, their forms mirrored in the water ; a mirage 
in the distance ; mountain upon mountain beyond, as far 
'as the eye could reach, till their dim outlines were lost 
in the golden glow of the atmosphere. Surely a more 
lovely spot never existed upon earth. I have wandered 
over many a bright and beautiful land, but never, even 
in the glorious East, in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, or South 
America, have I seen a country so richly favored by na- 
ture as California, and never a more lovely valley than 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 231 

- 

Santa Marguerita upon the- whole wide world. There 
is nothing comparable to the mingled wildness and re- 
pose of such a scene ; the rich and glowing sky, the 
illimitable distances, the teeming luxuriance of vegeta- 
tion, its utter isolation from the busy world, and the 
dreamy fascination that lurks in every feature. 

I had passed nearly across the valley, and was about 
to enter upon an undulating and beautifully timbered 
range of country extending into it from the foot-hills, 
when a dust arose on a rise of ground a little to the left 
and about half a mile distant. My mule, ever on the 
alert for some new danger, pricked up his ears and mani- 
fested symptoms of uncontrollable fear. The object rap- 
idly approached, and without farther warning the mule 
whirled around and fled at the top of his speed. Neither 
bridle nor switch had the slightest effect. In vain I struer- 
gled to arrest his progress, believing this, like many oth- 
er frights he had experienced on the road, was rather the 
result of innate cowardice than of any substantial cause 
of apprehension. One material difference was percepti- 
ble. He never before ran so fast. Through brush and 
mire, over rocks, into deep arroyas and out again, he 
dashed in his frantic career, never once stopping till by 
some mischance one of his fore feet sank in a squirrel- 
hole, when he rolled headlong on the ground, throwing 
me with considerable violence several yards in advance. 
I jumped to my feet at once, hoping to catch him before 
he could get up, but he was on his feet and away before 
I had time to make the attempt. It now became a mat- 
ter of personal interest to know what he was running 
from. Upon looking back, I was astonished to see not 
only one object, but four others in the rear, bearing rap- 
idly down toward me. The first was a large animal of 
some kind — I could not determine what — the others 
mounted horsemen in full chase. Whatever the object 
of the chase was, it was not safe to be a spectator in the 
direct line of their route. I cast a hurried look around, 
and discovered a break in the earth a few hundred yards 



232 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

distant, toward which I ran with all speed. It was a 
sort of mound rooted up by the squirrels or coyotes, and 
afforded some trifling shelter, where I crouched down 
close to the groiind. Scarcely had I partially concealed 
myself when I heard a loud shouting from the men on 
horseback, and, peeping over the bank, saw within fifty 
or sixty paces a huge grizzly bear, but no longer retreat- 
ing. He had faced round toward his pursuers, and now 
seemed determined to fight. The horsemen were evi- 
dently native Californians, and managed their animals 
with wonderful skill and grace. The nearest swept 
down like an avalanche toward the bear, while the oth- 
ers coursed off a short distance in a circling direction to 
prevent his escape. Suddenly swerving a little to one 
side, the leader whirled his lasso once or twice around 
his head, and let fly at his game with unerring aim. 
The loop caught one of the fore paws, and the bear was . 
instantly jerked down upon his haunches, struggling and 
roaring with all his might. It was a striking instance of ' 
the power of the rider over the horse, that, w T ild with 
terror as the latter was, he dared not disobey the slight- 
est pressure of the rein, but went through all the evolu- 
tions, blowing trumpet-blasts from his nostrils and with 
eyes starting from their sockets. Despite the strain 
kept upon the lasso, the bear soon regained his feet, and 
commenced hauling in the spare line with his fore j3aws* 
so as to get within reach of the horse. He had advanced 
within ten feet before the nearest of the other horsemen 
could bring his lasso to bear upon him. The first throw 
was at his hind legs — the main object being to stretch 
him out — but it missed. Another more fortunate cast 
took him round the neck. . Both riders pulled in opposite 
directions, and the bear soon rolled on the ground again, 
biting furiously at the lassos, and uttering the most ter- 
rific roars. The strain upon his neck soon choked oft* his 
breath, and he was forced to let loose his grasp upon the 
other lasso. While struggling to free his neck, the two 
other horsemen dashed up, swinging their lassos, and 



234 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

shouting with all their might so as to attract his atten- 
tion. The nearest, watching narrowly every motion of 
the frantic animal, soon let fly his lasso, and made a lucky 
hitch around one of his hind legs. The other, following 
quickly with a large loop, swung it entirely over the 
bear's body, and all four riders now set up a yell of tri- 
umph and began pulling in opposite directions. The 
writhing, pitching, and straining of the powerful monster 
were now absolutely fearful. A dust arose over him, 
and the earth flew up in every direction. Sometimes by 
a desperate effort he regained his feet, and actually 
dragged one or more of the horses toward him by main 
strength ; but, whenever he attempted this, the others 
stretched their lassos, and either choked him or jerked 
him down upon his haunches. It was apparent that his 
wind was giving out, partly by reason of the long chase, 
and partly owing to the noose around his throat. A 
general pull threw him once more upon his back. Be- 
fore he could regain his feet, the horsemen, by a series 
of dexterous manoeuvres, wound him completely up, so 
that he lay perfectly quiet upon the ground, breathing 
heavily, and utterly unable to extricate his paws from 
the labyrinth of lassos in which he was entangled. One 
of the riders now gave the reins of his horse to another 
and dismounted. Cautiously approaching, with a spare, 
riata, he cast a noose over the bear's fore paws, and 
wound the remaining part tightly round the neck, so 
that what strength might still have been left was speed- 
ily exhausted by suffocation. This done, another rider 
dismounted, and the two soon succeeded in binding their 
victim so firmly by the paws that it was impossible for 
him to break loose. They next bound his jaws together 
by means of another riata, winding it all the way up 
around his head, upon which they loosened the fastening 
around his neck so as to give him air. When all was 
secure, they freed the lassos and again mounted their 
horses. I thought it about time now to make known 
my presence and stood up. Some of the party had evi- 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 235 

dently seen me during the progress of the chase, for 
they manifested no surprise; and the leader, after ex- 
changing a few words with one of the men, and point- 
ing in the direction taken by the mule, rode up and said 
very politely, 

11 JBuenas diets, Senorf" He then informed me, as 
well as I could understand, that he had sent a man to 
catch my mule, and it would be back presently. While 
we were endeavoring to carry on some conversation in 
reference to the capture of the bear, during which I 
made out to gather that they were going to drag him 
to the ranch on a bullock's hide, and have a grand bull- 
fight with him in the course of a few days, the vaquero 
returned with my mule. 

I had a pleasant journey of thirty-five miles that day. 
Nothing farther occurred worthy of record. When 
night overtook me I was within fifteen miles of San Luis. 
I camped under a tree, and, notwithstanding some appre- 
hension of the Sonoranians, made out to get a good 
sleep. 

Next morning I was up and on my way by daylight. 
The country, as I advanced, increased in picturesque 
beauty, and the hope of soon reaching my destination 
gave me additional pleasure. A few hours more, and I 
was safely lodged with some American friends. Thus 
ended what I think the reader must admit was " a dan- 
gerous journey." 



CHAPTER X. 

A TRAGEDY. 



A few days after my arrival in San Luis I went, in 
company with a young American by the name of Jack- 
son, to a fandango given by the native Californians. The 
invitation, as usual in such cases, was general, and the 
company not very select. Every person within a circle 



2^0 A DANGEROUS JOUKNEY. 

of twenty miles, and with money enough in Lis pockets 
to pay for the refreshments, was expected to be present. 
The entertainment was held in a large adobe building, 
formerly used for missionary purposes, the lower part of 
which was occupied as a store-house. A large loft over- 
head, with a step-ladder reaching to it from the outside, 
formed what the proprietor was pleased to call the dan- 
cing-saloon. In the yard, which was encircled by a mud 
wall, were several chapadens, or brush tents, in which 
whisky, gin, aguardiente, and other refreshments of a like 
nature, "for ladies and gentlemen," were for sale at "two 
bits a drink." A low rabble of Mexican greasers, chiefly 
Sonoranians, hung around the premises in every direc- 
tion, among whom I recognized several belonging to the 
gang into whose encampment I had fallen on my way 
down from Santa Marguerita. Their dirty serapas, ma- 
chillas, and spurs lay scattered about, just as they had 
dismounted from their mustangs. The animals were 
picketed around in the open spaces, and kept up a con- 
tinual confusion by bucking and kicking at every strag- 
gler who came within their reach. Such of the rabble 
as were able to pay the entrance-fee of "dos reaUes" were 
sitting in groups in the yard, smoking cigarritos and play- 
ing at monte. A few of the better class of rancheros had 
brought seiioritas with them, mounted in front on their 
saddles, and were wending their way up the step-ladder 
as we entered the premises. 

I followed the crowd, in company with my friend Jack- 
son, and was admitted into the saloon upon the payment 
of half a dollar. This fund was to defray the expense of 
lights and music. 

On passing through the doorway I was forcibly im- 
pressed with the scene. Some fifty or sixty couples were 
dancing to the most horrible scraping of fiddles I had 
ever heard, marking the time by snapping their fingers, 
whistling, and clapping their hands. The fiddles were 
accompanied by a dreadful twanging of guitars; and an 
Indian in one corner of the saloon added to the din by 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 237 

beating with all his might upon <i rude drum. There 
was an odor of steaming flesh, cigarritos, garlic, and Co- 
logne in the hot, reeking atmosphere that was almost suf- 
focating; and the floor swayed under the heavy tramp 
of the dancers, as if every turn of the waltz might be the 
last. The assemblage was of a very mixed character, as 
may well be supposed, consisting of native Californians, 
Sonoranians, Americans, Frenchmen, Germans, and half- 
breed Indians. 

Most of the Mexicans were- rancheros and vaqueros 
from the neighboring ranches, dressed in the genuine 
style of Caballeros del Campaiia, with black or green 
velvet jackets, richly embroidered ; wide pantaloons, open 
at the sides, Ornamented with rows of silver buttons; a 
red sash around the waist ; and a great profusion of gold 
filigree on their vests. These were the fast young fellows 
who had been successful in jockeying away their horses, 
or gambling at monte. Others of a darker and lower 
grade, such as the Sonoranians, wore their hats and ma- 
chillas just as they had come in from camp ; for it was 
one of the privileges of the fandango that every man 
could dress or undress as he pleased. A very desperate 
and ill-favored set these were — perfect specimens of Mex- 
ican outlaws. 

The Americans were chiefly a party of Texans, who 
had recently crossed over through Chihuahua, and com- 
pared not unfavorably with the Sonoranians in point of 
savage costume and appearance. Some wore broadcloth 
frock-coats, ragged and defaced from the wear and tear 
of travel ; some red flannel shirts, without any coats — 
their pantaloons thrust in their boots in a loose, swag- 
gering style ; and all with revolvers and bowie-knives 
swinging from their belts. A more reckless, devil-may- 
care looking set it would be impossible to find in a year's 
journey. Take them altogether — with their uncouth cos- 
tumes, bearded faces, lean and brawny forms, fierce, sav- 
age eyes, and swaggering manners — they were a fit as- 
semblage for a frolic or a fight. Every word they spoke 



238 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

was accompanied by an oath. The presence of the fe- 
males imposed no restraint upon the subject or style of 
the conversation, which was disgusting to the last degree. 
I felt ashamed to think that habit should so brutalize a 
people of my own race and blood. 

Many of the senoritas were pretty, and those who had 
no great pretensions to beauty in other respects were at 
least gifted with fine eyes and teeth, rich brunette com- 
plexions, and forms of wonderful pliancy and grace. All, 
or nearly all, were luminous with jewelry, and wore dress- 
es of the most flashy colors, in which flowers, lace, and 
glittering tinsel combined to set off their dusky charms. 
I saw some among them who would not have compared 
unfavorably with the ladies of Cadiz, perhaps in more 
respects than one. They danced easily and naturally; 
and, considering the limited opportunity of culture they 
had enjoyed in this remote region, it was wonderful how 
free, simple, and graceful they were in their manners. 

The belle of the occasion was a dark-eyed, fierce-look- 
ing woman of about six-and-twenty, a half-breed from 
Santa Barbara. Her features were far from comely, be- 
ing sharp and uneven ; her skin was scarred with fire or 
small-pox ; and her form, though not destitute of a cer- 
tain grace of style, was too lithe, wiry, and acrobatic to 
convey any idea of voluptuous attraction. Every motion, 
every nerve seemed the incarnation of a suppressed vig- 
or ; every glance of her fierce, flashing eyes was instinct 
with untamable passion. She was a mustang in human 
shape — one that I thought would kick or bite upon very 
slight provocation. In the matter of dress she was al- 
most Oriental. The richest and most striking colors dec- 
orated her, and made a rare accord with her wild and sin- 
gular physique ; a gorgeous silk dress of bright orange, 
flounced up to the waist ; a white bodice, with blood-red 
ribbons upon each shoulder ; a green sash around the 
waist ; an immense gold-cased breast-pin, with diamonds 
glittering in the centre, the greatest profusion of rings 
on her fingers, and her ears loaded down with sparkling 




?H£. 



THE IJELLli OF THE FANDANGO. 



240 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

car-rings ; while her heavy black hair was gathered up 
in a knot behind, and pinned with a gold dagger — all be- 
ing in strict keeping with her wild, dashing cl&racter, 
and bearing some remote affinity to a dangerous but roy- 
al game-bird. I thought of the Mexican chichilaca as I 
gazed at her. There was an intensity in the quick flash 
of her eye which produced a burning sensation wherever 
it fell. She cast a spell around her not unlike the fasci- 
nation of a snake. The women shunned and feared her ; 
the men absolutely worshiped at her shrine. Their in- 
fatuation was almost incredible. She seemed to have 
some supernatural capacity for arousing the fiercest pas- 
sions of love, jealousy, and hatred. Of course there was 
great rivalry to engage the hand of such a belle for the 
dance. Crowds of admirers were constantly urging their 
claims. It was impossible to look upon their excited faces 
and savage rivalry, knowing the desperate character of 
the men, without a foreboding of evil. 

"Perhaps you will not be surprised," said Jackson, "to 
hear something strange and startling about that woman. 
She is a murderess ! Not long since she stabbed to death 
a rival of hers, another half-breed, who had attempted to 
win the affections of her paramour. But, Avorse than 
that — she is strongly suspected of having killed her own 
child a few months ago, in a fit of jealousy caused by the 
supposed infidelity of its father — whose identity, howev- 
er, can not be fixed with any certainty. She is a strange, 
bad woman — a devil incarnate ; yet you see what a spell 
she casts around her ! Some of these men are mad in 
love with her! They will fight before the evening is 
over. Yet she is neither pretty nor amiable. I can not 
account for it. Let me introduce you." 

As soon as a pause in the dance occurred I was intro- 
duced. The revolting history I had heard of this woman 
inspired me Avith a curiosity to knoAV hoAV such a fiend 
in human shape could exercise such a poAverfnl SAvay over 
every man in the room. 

Although she spoke but little English, there was a pe- 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 241 

culiar sweetness in every word she uttered. I thought I 
could detect something of the secret of her magicat pow- 
ers in her voice, which was the softest and most musical 
I had ever heard. There was a wild, sweet, almost un- 
earthly cadence in it that vibrated upon the ear like the 
strains of an .<Eolian. Added to this, there was a power 
of alternate ferocity and tenderness in her deep, passion- 
ate eyes, that struck to the inner core wherever she fixed 
her gaze. I could not determine for my life which she 
resembled most — the untamed mustang, the royal game- 
bird, or the rattlesnake. There were flitting hints of each 
in her, and yet the comparison is feeble and inadequate. 
Sometimes she reminded me of Rachel — then the living, 
now the dead, Queen of Tragedy. Had it not been for a 
horror of her repulsive crimes, it is hard to say how far 
her fascinating powers might have affected me. As it 
was, I could only wonder whether she was most genius 
or devil. Not knowing how to dance, I could not offer 
my services in that way, and, after a few commonplace 
remarks, withdrew to a seat near the wall. The dance 
went on with great spirit. Absurd as it may seem, I 
could not keep my eyes off this woman. "Whichever way 
she looked there was a commotion — a shrinking back 
among the women, or the symptoms of a jealous rage 
among the men. Por her own sex she manifested an ab- 
solute scorn ; for the other she had an inexhaustible fund 
of sweet glances, which each admirer might take to him- 
self. 

At a subsequent period of the evening I observed, for 
the first time, among the company a man of very conspic- 
uous appearance, dressed in the very picturesque style 
of a Texan Ranger. His face was turned from me when 
I first saw him, but there was something manly and im- 
posing about his figure and address that attracted my at- 
tention. "While I was looking toward him he turned to 
speak to some person near him. My astonishment may 
well be conceived when I recognized in his strongly- 
marked features and dejected expression the face of the 

L 



242 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

man " Griff," to whom I was indebted for my escape from 
the assassins near Soledad ! There could be no doubt 
that this was the outlaw who had rendered me such an 
inestimable service, differently dressed, indeed, and some- 
what disfigured by a ghastly wound across the temple, 
but still the same ; still bearing himself with an air of de- 
termination mingled with profound sadness. It was evi- 
dent the Colonel had misinformed me as to his death. 
Perhaps, judging from the wound on his temple, which 
was still unhealed, he might have been left for dead, and 
subsequently have effected his escape. At all events, 
there was no doubt that he now stood before me. 

I was about to spring forward and grasp him by the 
hand, when the dreadful scene I had witnessed in the 
little adobe hut near San Miguel flashed vividly upon my 
mind, and, for the moment, I felt like one who was par- 
alyzed. That hand might be stained with the blood of 
the unfortunate emigrants ! Who could tell ? He had 
disavowed any participation in the act, but his complic- 
ity, either remote or direct, could scarcely be doubted 
from his own confession. How far his guilt might ren- 
der him amenable to the laws I could not of course con- 
jecture. It was enough for me, however, that he had 
saved my life ; but I could not tak»e his hand. 

While reflecting upon the course Hte,t it might become 
my duty to pursue under the circumstances, I observed 
that he was not exempt from the fascinating sway of the 
dark seiiorita, whose face he regarded with an interest 
even more intense than that manifested by her other ad- 
mirers. He was certainly a person calculated to make 
an impression upon such a woman ; yet, strange to say, 
he was the only man in the crowd toAvard whom she 
evineed a spirit of hostility. Several times he went up 
to her and asked her to dance. Whether from caprice 
or some more potent cause I could not conjecture, but 
she invariably repulsed him — once with a degree of as- 
perity that indicated something more than a casual ac- 
quaintance. It was in vain he attempted to cajole hei\ 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 243 

She was evidently bitter and unrelenting in her animos- 
ity. At length, incensed at his pertinacity, she turned 
sharply upon him, and leaning her head close to his ear, 
whispered something, the eflect of which was magical. 
He staggered back as if stunned, and, gazing a moment 
at her with an expression of horror, turned away and 
walked out of the room. The woman's face was a shade 
paler, but she quickly resumed her usual smile, and oth- 
erwise manifested no emotion. 

This little incident was probably unnoticed by any ex- 
cept myself. I sat in a recess near the window, and could 
see all that was going on without attracting attention. I 
had resolved, after overcoming my first friendly impulses, 
not to discover myself to the outlaw until the fandango 
was over, and then 'determine upon my future course re- 
garding him by the result of a confidential interview. I 
fully believed that he would tell me the truth, and noth- 
ing but the truth, in reference to the murder of the emi- 
grants. 

The dance went on. It was a Spanish waltz ; the 
click-clack of the feet, in slow-measured time, was very 
monotonous, producing a peculiarly dreamy effect. I 
sometimes closed my eyes and fancied it was all a wild, 
strange dream. Visions of the beautiful country through 
which I had passed flitted before me — a country dese- 
crated by the worst passions of human nature. Amid 
the rarest charms of scenery and climate, what a combi- 
nation of dark and deadly sins oppressed the mind ! 
What a cess-pool of wickedness was here within these 
very Avails ! 

Half an hour may have elapsed in this sort of dream- 
ing, when Griff, who had been so strangely repulsed by 
the dark senorita, came back and pushed his way through 
the crowd. This time I noticed that his face was flushed, 
and a gleam of desperation was in his eye. The wound 
in his temple had a purple hue, and looked as if it might 
burst out bleeding afresh. His motions were unsteady 
— he had evidently been drinking. Edging over toward 



244 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

the woman, he stood watching her till there was a pause 
in the dance. Her partner was a handsome young Mex- 
ican, very gayly dressed, whom I had before noticed, and 
to whom she now made herself peculiarly fascinating. 
She smiled when he spoke ; laughed very musically at 
every thing he said ; leaned up toward him, and assumed 
a wonderfully sweet and confidential ifianner. The Mex- 
ican was perfectly infatuated. He made the most pas- 
sionate avowals, scarcely conscious what he was saying. 
I watched the tall Texan. The veins in his forehead 
were swollen ; he strode to and fro restlessly, fixing fierce 
and deadly glances upon the loving couple. A terrible 
change had taken place in the expression of his features, 
which ordinarily had something sweet and sad in it. It 
was now dark, brutish, and malignant. Suddenly, as if 
by an ungovernable impulse, he rushed up close to where 
they stood, and, drawing a large bowie-knife, said to the 
woman, in a quick, savage tone, 

" Dance with me now, or, damn you, I'll cut your heart 
out !" 

She turned toward him haughtily — " Senor !" 

" Dance with me, or die !" 

"Senor," said the woman, quietly, and with an un- 
flinching eye, " you are drunk ! Don't come so hear to 
me!" 

The infuriated man made a motion as if to strike at 
her with his knife ; but, quick as lightning, the young 
Mexican grasped his uprisen arm and the two clenched. 
I could not see what was done in the struggle. Those 
of the crowd who were nearest rushed in, and the affray 
soon became general. Pistols and knives were drawn 
in every direction ; but so sudden was the fight that 
nobody seemed to know where to aim or strike. In the 
midst of the' confusion, a man jumped up on one of the 
benches and shouted, 

" Back ! back with you ! The man's stabbed ! Let 
him out !" 

The swaying mass parted, and the tall Texan stag- 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 245 

gered through, then fell upon the floor. His shirt was 
covered with blood, and he breathed heavily. A mo- 
ment after the woman uttered a low, wild cry, and, dash- 
ing through the crowd — her long black hair streaming 
behind her — she cast herself down by the prostrate man 
and sobbed, 

" O cara mio ! O Deos ! is he dead ? is he dead ?" 

" Who did this ? Who stabbed this man ?" demand- 
ed several voices, fiercely. 

"No matter," answered the wounded man, faintly. 
" It was my own fault ; I deserved it ;" and, turning his 
face toward the weepiug woman, he said, smiling, " Don't 
cry ; don't go on so." 

There was an ineffable tenderness in his voice, and 
something indescribably sweet in the expression of his 
face. 

" O Deos !" cried the woman, kissing him passionately. 
" O cara mio ! Say you will not die ! Tell me you will 
not die !" And, tearing her dress with frantic strength, 
she tried to stanch the blood, which was rapidly forming 
a crimson pool around him. 

The crowd meantime pressed so close that the man 
suffered for want of air, and begged to be removed. 
Several persons seized hold of him, and, lifting him from 
the floor, carried him out. The dark senorita followed 
close up, still pressing the fragments of her bloodstained 
dress to his wound. 

Order was restored, and the music and dancing went 
on as if nothing had happened. 

I had no desire to see any more of the evening amuse- 
ments. 

Next day I learned that the unfortunate man was dead. 
He was a stranger at San Luis, and refused to reveal his 
name, or make any disclosures concerning the affray. 
His last words were addressed to the woman, who clung 
to him with a devotion bordering on insanity. When 
she saw that he was doomed to die, the tears ceased to 
flow from her eyes, and she sat by his bedside with a 



246 A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 

wild, affrighted look, clutching his hands in hers, and 
ever and anon bathing her lips in the life-blood that 
oozed from his mouth. 

"I loved you — still love you better than my life!'''' 

These were his last words. A gurgle, a quivering 
motion of the stalwart frame, and he was dead ! 

At an examination before the alcalde, it was proved 
that the stabbing must have occurred before the affray 
became general. It was also shown that the young- 
Mexican was unarmed, and had no acquaintance with 
the murdered man. 

Who could have done it ? 

Was it the devil-woman? Was this a case of jeal- 
ousy, and was the tall Texan the father of the murdered 
child ? 

Upon these points I could get no information. The 
whole affair, with all its antecedent circumstances, was 
wrapped in an impenetrable mystery. When the body 
was carried to the grave by a few strangers, including 
myself, the chief mourner was the half-breed woman — 
now a ghastly wreck. The last I saw of her, as we turn- 
ed sadly away, she was sitting upon the sod at the head 
of the grave, motionless as a statue. 

Next morning a vaquero, passing in that direction, 
noticed a shapeless mass lying upon the newly-spaded 
earth. It proved to be the body of the unfortunate 
woman, horribly mutilated by the wolves. The clothes 
were torn from it, and the limbs presented a ghastly 
spectacle of fleshless bones. Whether she died by her 
own hand, or was killed by the wolves during the night, 
none could tell. She was buried by the side of her lover. 

Soon after these events, having completed my business 
in San Luis, I took passage in a small schooner for San 
Francisco, where I had the satisfaction in a few days of 
turning over ten thousand dollai*s to the Collector of 
Customs. 

I never afterward could obtain any information re- 
specting the two men mentioned in the eai'ly part of my 



A DANGEROUS JOURNEY. 247 

narrative — the Colonel and Jack. No steps were taken 
by the authorities to arrest them. It is the usual fate of 
such -men in California sooner or later to fall into the 
hands of an avenging mob. Doubtless they met with a 
merited retribution. 

Eleven years have passed since these events took place. 
Many changes have occurred in California. The gangs 
of despei*adoes that infested the state have been broken 
up ; some of the members have met their fate at the 
hands of justice — more have fallen victims to their own 
excesses. I have meanwhile traveled in many lands, and 
have had my full share of adventures. But still, every 
incident in the "Dangerous Journey" which I have at- 
tempted to describe is as fresh in my mind as if it hap- 
pened but yesterday. 



OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 

There is something very fascinating in public office. 
The dignity of the position touches our noblest sympa- 
thies, and makes heroes and patriots of the most com- 
monplace men. It is wonderful, too, how unselfish peo- 
ple become under the influence of this most potent charm. 
Every four years it becomes an epidemic. The passional 
attraction of office is felt throughout the length and 
breadth of the land. Many thousands of our best citi- 
zens visit the seat of government at the inauguration of 
a new president. A large proportion of them have faith- 
fully served their country by contributing their time, tal- 
ents, energies, and pecuniary resources to the success of 
the dominant party. But they don't want any thing ; 
they have a natural repugnance to office ; they merely 
come to look on, and pay their respects to the chief mag- 
istrate. If he deems it necessary to solicit their services 
for the common good, it is not for them, as patriotic cit- 
izens, to refuse. The seductive influences of official posi- 
tion may tend, perhaps, to quicken their perception of 
the grades of service in which their time could be most 
profitably spent ; but modesty, after all, is their predom- 
inant trait. Indeed, for that matter, the general charac- 
teristic of great men is modesty, and where will you see 
so many notoriously great men as in Washington upon 
the advent of a new administration. The difficulty is to 
find a man who is not great. You may find many who 
L2 



250 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

are poor, some thriftless, and a few worthless, but none 
deficient in greatness. It must not be understood, how- 
ever, that mercenary considerations have any connection 
with the charm which allures them thither. These ex- 
cellent people — as in my own case, for example — are gov- 
erned by motives of the purest and most exalted patriot- 
ism. Who is there so destitute of national pride — so in- 
different to the welfare of his fellow-beings, that he does 
not desire to serve his country when he sees that she 
stands in need of his services ? 

The consideration of a per-diem allowance could not 
be wholly discarded, but I assure you, upon the veracity 
of a public officer, it had not the slightest influence upon 
me when I accepted the responsible position of Inspector 
General of Public Depositories. The Secretary of the 
Treasury — a gentleman in whom I had great confidence 
— required my services. I was unwilling, of course, to 
stand in the way of an efficient administration of the af- 
fairs of his department. The fact is, I had great personal 
respect for him, and was anxious to afford him all the as- 
sistance in my power. I do not pretend to say that the 
appointment of inspector general was destitute of attrac- 
tions in itself, but they were not of a pecuniary charac- 
ter. The title had a sonorous and authoritative ring 
about it altogether different from the groveling jingle of 
filthy lucre — something that vibrated upon the higher 
chords of the soul. 

An honorable ambition to serve one's country is one 
of the highest and most ennobling passions that can gov- 
ern the human mind. To this may be attributed some 
of the greatest achievements which have given lustre to 
ancient and modern history. It has developed the great- 
est intellects of the Old and New World, and furnished 
the rising generation with illustrious models of unselfish 
devotion to the common welfare of mankind. 

No wonder, then, that office possesses such extraordi- 
nary attractions. It is the cheapest way of becoming 
great. A man never before heard of outside of his vil- 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 251 

lage home — never before known to do any thing remark- 
able by his most intimate friends — never before suspect- 
ed of possessing the least capacity for mental or manual 
labor of any kind whatsoever, may become, in the course 
of four-and-twenty hours, a topic of newspaper comment 
throughout the whole country — praised for virtues he 
never possessed, abused for vices to which he never as- 
pired. An appointment places him prominently before 
the public. It shows the world that there was always 
something in him — whether whisky or sense matters lit- 
tle, since he has received the endorsement of the " pow- 
ers that be." 

To make a short story of it, I was obliged to accept 
the position. The party in power stood in need of my 
services. I could not refuse without great detriment to 
the country. This was many years since ; and I beg to 
say that there is nothing in my journal of experiences 
bearing upon the present state of affairs. At great pe- 
cuniary sacrifice (that is to say, in a prospective sense, 
for I hadn't a dime in the world), I announced myself as 
ready to proceed to duty. In his letter of instructions, 
the Secretary of the Treasury was pleased to direct me 
to proceed to the Pacific coast, and carefully examine 
into the condition of the revenue service in that remote 
region. I was to see that the accounts of the collectors 
were properly kept and rendered ; that the revenue laws 
were faithfully administered ; that the valuation of im- 
ports was uniform throughout the various districts ; 
whether any reduction could be made in the number of 
inspectors and aids to the revenue stationed within their 
limits, with a view to a more economical administration 
of the laws ; whether the public moneys were kept in the 
manner prescribed by the Independent Treasury Act of 
August 6th, 1846 ; and what additional measures, if any, 
were necessary for the prevention of smuggling and oth- 
er frauds upon the revenue, all of which I was to report, 
with such views as might be suggested in the course of 
the investigation for the promotion of the public inter- 



252 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

ests. These were but a few of the important subjects 
of official inquiry upon which I was to enlighten the De- 
partment. I frankly confess that, when I read the in- 
structions, and pondered over their massive proportions 
and severe tone of gravity, I was appalled at the immen- 
sity of the interests committed to my charge. A some- 
what versatile career, during which I had served before 
the mast in a whaler, studied medicine, hunted squirrels 
in the backwoods, followed the occupation of ferry-keep- 
er, flat-boat hand, and short-hand writer, had not fitted 
me particularly for this sort of business. What did I 
know about the forms of accounts current, drawbacks, 
permits, entries, appraisements, licenses, enrollments, and 
abstracts of imports and exports? What reliable or def- 
inite information was I prepared to give to collectors of 
customs in reference to schedules and sliding scales? 
What hope was there that I could ever get to the bot- 
tom of a fraud upon the revenue service, when I had but 
a glimmering notion of the difference between fabrics of 
which the component parts were two thirds wool, and 
fabrics composed in whole or in part of sheet-iron, leath- 
er, or gutta-percha ? 

As for inspectors of customs, how in the world was 
an agent to find out how many inspectors were needed 
except by asking the collector of the district, who ought 
to know more about it than a stranger ? But if the col- 
lector had half a dozen brothers, cousins, or friends in 
office as inspectors, would it not be expecting a little too 
much of human nature to suppose he would say there 
were too many in his district ? I reflected over the idea 
of asking one of these gentlemen to inform me confiden- 
tially if he thought he could dispense with a dozen or so 
of his relatives and friends without detriment to the pub- 
lic service, but abandoned it as chimerical. Then, to go 
outside and question any disinterested member of the 
community on this subject seemed equally absurd. Who 
could be said to be disinterested when only a few offices 
were to be filled, and a great many people wished to fill 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 253 

them ? I would be pretty sure to stumble upon some dis- 
appointed applicant for an inspectorship, or, worse still, 
upon a smuggler. It is a well-ascertained fact that dis- 
appointed applicants for office are always opposed to the 
fortunate applicants, and smugglers, as a general rule, 
have a natural antipathy to inspectors of customs. 

There was another serious duty imposed upon me — to 
ascertain the character aud standing of all the public em- 
ployes, their general reputation for sobriety, industry, 
aud honesty, and to report accordingly. Here was rather 
a delicate matter — one, in fact, that might be productive 
of innumerable personal difficulties. Having no unfriend- 
ly feeling toward any man, and attaching a fair valuation 
to life, I did not much relish the notion of placing any 
man's personal infirmities upon the official records. If 
a public officer drank too much whisky, it was certainly 
a very injurious practice, alike prejudicial to his health 
and moi^s ; but where was to be the gauge between too 
much a^^only just enough ? No man likes to have his 
predilection for stimulating beverages made a matter of 
public question, and the gradations between temperance 
and intemperance are so arbitrary in different communi- 
ties that it would be a very difficult matter to report 
upon. I have seen men " sociable" in New Orleans who 
would be considered " elevated" in Boston, and men " a 
little shot" in Texas who would be regarded as " drunk" 
in Maine. It is all a matter of opinion. No man is ever 
drunk in his own estimation, and whether he is so in the 
estimation of others depends pretty much upon their 
standard of sobriety. With respect to honesty, that was 
an equally delicate matter. What might be considered 
honest among politicians might be very questionable in 
ordinary life. I once knew of a public officer who had 
been chai'ged with embezzling certain public moneys. 
There was no doubt of the fact, but he fought a duel to 
prove his innocence. In one respect, at least, he was 
honest — he placed a fair valuation upon his life, which 
was worth no more to the community than it was to 



254 OBSEKVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

himself. I did not think an ordinary per-diem allowance 
would be sufficient to compensate for maintaining the 
public credit by such tests as this, especially as there 
were nearly two hundred public offices to be examined ; 
but it seemed nothing more than reasonable that the 
laws should be administered by sober and honest men, 
and, upon the whole, I could not perceive how this un- 
pleasant duty could be avoided. 

The Department furnished me with a penknife, a pen- 
cil, several quires of paper, and a copy of Gordon's Di- 
gest of the Revenue Laws. This was my outfit. It was 
not equal to the outfit of a minister plenipotentiary, but 
there was a certain dignity in its very simplicity. To 
be the owner of a fine Congressional penknife, a genuine 
English lead-pencil, paper ad libitum, and Gordon's Di- 
gest, was no trifling advance in my practical resources. 
I looked into the Digest, read many of the laws, and be- 
came satisfied that the Creator had not giftedjjne with 
any capacity for understanding that species o^vriting. 
For Mr. Gordon, who had digested those laws, I felt a 
very profound admiration. His powers of digestion were 
certainly better than mine. I would much rather have 
undertaken to digest a keg of spike nails. The Act of 
March 2, 1799, upon which most of the others were 
based, was evidently drawn with great ability, and cov- 
ered the whole subject. Like a Boeotian fog, however, 
it covered it up so deep that I don't think the author 
ever saw it again after he got through writing the law. 
Whenever there was a tangible point to be found, it was 
either abolished, or so obscured by some other law made 
in conformity with the progress of the times that it be- 
came no point at all ; so that, after perusing pretty much 
the whole book, and referring to Mayo's Compendium 
of Circulars and Treasury Regulations, I am free to con- 
fess the effect was very decided. I knew a great deal 
less than before, for I was iitterly unable to determine 
who was right — Congress, Gordon, Mayo, or myself. 
Under these circumstances, it will hardly be a matter 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 255 

of surprise that serious doubt as to my capacity for this 
service entered ray mind. Perhaps, in the whole history 
of government offices, it was the first time such a doubt 
ever entered any man's head upon receiving an appoint- 
ment, and I claim some credit for originality on that ac- 
count. The position was highly responsible ; the duties 
were of a very grave and important character, bordering 
on the metaphysical. Now, had I been requested to visit 
Juan Fernandez, and report upon the condition of Robin- 
son Crusoe's castle, or ascertain the spot in which he 
found- the footprint in the sand, or describe for the bene- 
fit of science the breed of wild goats descended from the 
original stock — had these questions been involved in my 
instructions, or had I been appointed to succeed Sancho 
Panza in the government of Nantucket (which I verily 
believe was the island referred to by Cervantes), I could 
have had no misgivings of success. But this awful thing 
of abstracts and accounts current ; this subtile mystery 
of appraisements, appeals, drawbacks, bonds, and bonded 
warehouses ; this terrible demon of manifests, invoices, 
registers, enrollments, and licenses ; this hateful abom- 
ination of circulars on refined sugar, and fabrics com- 
posed in whole or in part of wool ; this miserable sub- 
terfuge of triplicate vouchers and abstracts of disburse- 
ments, combined to cast a gloom over my mind almost 
akin to despair. The question arose, would it not be the 
most honorable course to return the commission to the 
Secretary of the Treasury, and confess to him confiden- 
tially, as a friend, that I thought he would render the 
country greater service by appointing a more suitable 
agent ? But then there was the per-diem allowance, a 
very snug little sum, much needed at the time; and there 
was the honor of the position — a pillar in the federal 
structure ; and then the advantage of travel, and the 
charm of becoming at once famous in the national rec- 
ords. Besides, it might be considered disrespectful to 
say to the Secretary of the Treasury — a gentleman from 
an interior state, who had no experience in commerce or 



256 OBSEEVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

public finances — that I had no experience in these things 
myself, and doubted my capacity to tlo justice to the 
government. Might he not regard such a confession in 
the light of a personal reflection ? 

After all, I thought it would be as well perhaps to try 
my hand at the business. Many a man never finds out 
that he is great in some particular line till he tries his 
hand. I have at this moment in my eye at least half a 
dozen senators of the United States who I verily believe 
would make excellent butchers, bakers, blacksmiths, and 
carpenters, if they- only knew it. I am acquainted with 
some that Avould be an ornament to any court of justice 
as public criers, and not a few who would make capital 
hands at playing quoits and pitch-penny. In short, I 
know many men occupying these positions who would 
succeed even better in other branches of industry than 
in the capacity of statesmen ; but the misfortune is, they 
are not aware of the fact, and never can be persuaded to 
believe it. Very few men understand what they are 
good for till some adventitious circumstance occurs to 
develop their latent and peculiar talents. In this view, 
it might be that I was a capital hand at revenue busi- 
ness, though, to tell the truth, I had never collected any 
revenue worth mentioning on my own account ; and 
what experience I had had in depositories was confined 
to my own pockets, which seldom retained the sums de- 
posited in them over twelve hours, if so long as that. 

A transcript from my official reports will convey some 
idea of my labors under the complicated instructions is- 
sued to me at various intervals from Washington. 

The first has reference to the general subject of smug- 
gling, and proposes the removal of the Custom-house 
from San Francisco to Bear Harbor, near Cape Mendo- 
cino. This was addressed to his Honor the Secretary of 
the Treasury : 

" Sir, — If Bear Harbor is eligible for any purpose in 
the world, it is for a port of entry and a custom-house. 



MY OFFICIAL EXPEEIENCES. 257. 

Not that there are any inhabitants there at present, or 
in the vicinity, except Indians, bears, elk, deer, and wild- 
cats; not that any vessels ever come in there, or ever 
will, perhaps, but as a guard against smuggling. You 
know, sir, from the experience of collectors from Passa- 
maquoddy Bay to Point Isabel, and from San Diego to 
the Straits of Fuca, that smuggling must be going on 
somewhere, else why is the Treasury Department flood- 
ed with applications for an increase of inspectors ? Even 
senators and members of Congress unite in the opinion 
that a great deal of smuggling is perpetrated on remote 
and isolated parts of our coast, for they are always rec- 
ommending some friend in whom they have confidence 
to keep a guard upon the revenue at such places. One 
would think that smugglers would rather pay duties and 
take their wares into a good market, than put them 
ashore where there are no inhabitants, and transport 
them at double the risk and cost to some place where 
they are wanted. If they must enjoy the pleasure of vi- 
olating the law at all, would it not pay better to smug- 
gle their wares directly into the principal cities, as New 
York or San Francisco, for example ? I know that in 
the former place they incur some risk of detection from 
night inspectors, who are supposed to be always on the 
look-out about the wharves after dark ; but in San Fran- 
cisco the night inspectors have been abolished on account 
of the soporific effects of the climate. Several of them 
fell asleep directly after receiving their appointments, 
and never woke up, except on pay-day, during the entire 
term of their service. 

"For some years, at least, one collector of customs 
could perform all the duties that might be required of 
him at Bear Harbor. No doubt the dullest and laziest 
politician in the entire state could be hired to occupy the 
position at three thousand dollars per annum. The col- 
lector at the city of Gardner, which consists of two small 
frame shanties and a pig-pen, situated at the mouth of 
the Umpqua River — where shipwreck is almost absolute- 



258 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

ly certain in case a vessel attempts to enter — receives 
only a thousand dollars per annum. Sir, it can not be 
expected that a gentleman more than ordinarily gifted 
with valuable traits of character can be obtained for so 
small a sum. Government is compelled to pay for the 
services of active and intelligent collectors at the ports 
of Benicia, Sacramento, Stockton, Monterey, San Pedro, 
and San Diego, three thousand dollars a year each. If 
they were at all conspicuous for idleness, it is impossi- 
ble to conjecture what it would cost to obtain their serv- 
ices ; but the amount of labor performed by these gen- 
tlemen (who, by the way, are all very excellent persons, 
and for whom. I entertain great personal respect) is al- 
most incredible. At Benicia the duties of the office are 
absolutely onerous. From one to two vessels a year en- 
ter that port Avith coals from Cardiff, which are deposited 
at the depot of the Pacific Steam-ship Company. Upon 
these coals the duties have to be computed and accounts 
rendered to the Department, besides which he is com- 
pelled to keep an accurate account of his own salary. 
For all this he is only allowed the occasional services of 
one inspector, whereas he ought to be allowed three. If 
they were gentlemen of a lively temperament, they would 
at least give something of vitality to the present deserted 
appearance of the port. I have known a smaller number 
than that to produce a considerable sensation in the pub- 
lic streets of other cities. A great deal of trouble to the 
Benicia collector might be saved if the two Cardiff ves- 
sels per annum were permitted to enter at San Francisco 
on their way up. 

" At Sacramento the duties of the collector are still 
more arduous. Indeed, it is a matter of surprise that any 
man can be found to undertake them at three thousand 
dollars a year. A vessel with foreign goods entered this 
port in 1849, since which period some six or eight con- 
secutive collectors have been anxiously awaiting the ar- 
rival of another. The most remarkable part of it is, that 
the other vessel has never yet arrived. Upon a review 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 259 

of the facts, I think that any person of a less sanguine 
temperament than a collector of customs would have long- 
since given up the hope of obtaining any public revenue 
from this source. Somehow all the vessels have a habit 
of stopping at San Francisco, paying duties there, dis- 
charging their cargoes for interior transportation, and 
going about their business, which must be a constant 
subject of mortification to the Sacramento collectors. I 
have known respectable gentlemen who occupied this 
position to be denied over twenty-five dollars a month 
for office-rent, after it had ranged for years at two or 
three hundred — even denied the services of a deputy or 
clerk, and actually compelled to make out their own pay 
accounts ! 

" And yet these officers are required to attend at pri- 
mary meetings, conventions, and legislative assemblages, 
and keep the party all right, when there may be a com- 
plication of difficulties between the various aspirants for 
the Senate of the United States, utterly impossible to set- 
tle except by electing them all. 

" At Stockton the case is still harder. I never knew a 
collector there to have any thing at all to do, except to 
keep the run of his office-rent and salary, which, injustice 
it must be said, is a branch of public duty always faith- 
fully performed. Yet this officer is expected to pass the 
time agreeably year after year on a miserable pittance of 
three thousand dollars, without even the hope of ever see- 
ing a dutiable cargo landed upon the wharves of the city. 
I do not believe that the most sanguine gentleman that 
ever held that position aspired to any thing of greater 
commercial value than a flock of sheep supposed to be 
on the way from Mexico, and for the capture and confis- 
cation of which two inspectors were for many years sta- 
tioned at the Tejon Pass, about three hundred miles from 
Stockton. But even the hope of seizing these sheep or 
their descendants has been blasted since Congress abol- 
ished the duties on stock ; and now the collector, to pro- 
tect the revenue, must fail unless he succeeds in getting 



260 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

hold of a box of contraband articles that it is supposed 
certain parties in San Francisco are awaiting* an oppor- 
tunity to send up, either by the steam navigation line or 
some of the small sailing craft that ply on this route. As 
this box of goods has been expected ever since 1852, the 
prospect of its appearance and seizure is becoming more 
favorable every year. If there was a surveyor stationed 
at the mouth of the San Joaquin — say in the city called 
' the New York of the Pacific' — the chances of seizure 
would be greatly augmented. There is a surveyor of 
customs at Nisquelly, in the Territory of Washington, 
and another at Santa Barbara, who might render some 
aid by the transmission of secret information. I do not 
know what has become of the surveyor at Pacific City, 
near the mouth of the Columbia. 'The last time I saw 
him he was engaged in the performance of his official 
functions in the tin business at Oregon City, the City of 
Pacific having been discontinued about two years previ- 
ously in consequence of a lack of inhabitants. 

" At Monterey the amount of hardship endured by the 
collector is absolutely incredible. Not only is he fur- 
nished with an indifferent government house to live in, 
which costs an annual outlay of several hundred dollars 
to keep it from falling to pieces, and thereby crushing 
himself and assistants beneath the ruins, but he is required 
to look after two inspectors, who are appointed to aid him 
in protecting the coast from the nefarious operations of 
smugglers. Besides this, it is supposed that a mysterious 
vessel has been hovering around the Bay of Monterey 
ever since 1852, with an assorted cargo of bar fixtures, 
billiard balls, whisky, nine-pins, cards, cotton handker- 
chiefs, boots, bowie-knives, and revolvers, upon a consid- 
erable portion of which duties have never been paid. This 
vessel is no doubt awaiting an opportunity to land these 
articles in violation of law, and to the great detriment of 
public morals and serious loss to the treasury. The col- 
lector is expected to be present or within reach of a tel- 
egraphic dispatch whenever she makes her appearance; 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 261 

aud it is farther exj)ected that he will not flinch from 
his duty even should she prove to be the Flying Dutch- 
man or the Wizard of the Seas. 

"At San Pedro the coasting steamer Senator touches for 
grapes and passengers some half a dozen times a month, 
and the collector is expected to keep a record of that 
vessel's arrivals and departures ; also the range of Cap- 
tain Banning's paddle- wheeled steam skiff Medora, six 
scows, and several fishing smacks. In addition to these 
onerous duties, it devolves upon him to keep his own pay 
account, and see that the light does not stop burning of 
nights in the public light-house on Point Conception, 
without any money to pay the keeper and assistant ex- 
cept such casual remittances as may be made once or 
twice in the course of as many years. I knew one light- 
house keeper who stood by the light manfully for a whole 
year, and finally had to sell his chance of pay for the 
means of subsistence. Some of the light-house keepers, 
indeed, are supposed to live on whale-oil, the Board in 
Washington being evidently under the impression that 
oil is a light article of diet, upon which men will not be 
apt to go to sleep. Another reason, perhaps, for the re- 
missness with which their salaries generally arrive is that 
their stations are generally not densely populated with 
voters, or, in fact, with any tiling but sheep and rabbits. 
I have a person in my eye whom I would like to recom- 
mend for the collectorship at San Pedro whenever the 
present incumbent may think proper to resign. By the 
way, the latter is a very clever and estimable gentleman, 
to whom I intend not the slightest disrespect in thus re- 
ferring to his office ; but there are peculiar qualifications 
for every position in life, and the individual to whom I 
refer possesses some very remarkable advantages over 
the generality of custom-house officers ; that is to say, 
he can sleep on his desk in the midst of the direst con- 
fusion ; is never known to be in a hurry ; thinks no more 
of time than he does of eternity, or any thing else ; and 
invariably postpones till to-morrow what most people 



262 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

would deem of vital importance to be done to-day. His 
work is generally in arrears, but will be all right — poco 
tiempo ! 

" At San Diego the same burdensome and oppressive 
state of things exists. The Custom-house is an old mil- 
itary building, with a roof that falls to pieces every win- 
ter, and a set of doors and windows through which both 
wind and rain have free access. The only article of jmb- 
lic property about the premises that yet sticks together 
is a tremendous iron safe, in which the revenue is going 
to be kept — as soon as it is collected. Even this is get- 
ting rusty for want of use. The books have an ancient 
and fish-like aspect ; and a public shovel, that is used to 
clear the mud away from the door whenever a vessel is 
seen in the offing, is going away year after year, and will 
eventually be reduced to a broken handle. This office is 
accessible by means of a boat, though in bad weather the 
deputy prefers to reside in an old hulk that lies at anchor 
in the bay. The building is eligibly located in a chap- 
paral of prickly pears, within about five miles of Old 
Town, or, properly speaking, the beautiful city of San 
Diego. Mexican stock were formerly imported into this 
district, but, having been made free by act of Congress, 
the collector is left destitute of occupation, and is com- 
pelled to seek business and society in various pai'ts of 
the state. Now and then, however, he is supposed to 
take a look at his pay account, and see that the public 
light on the Point keeps burning of nights, notwithstand- 
ing the roof has been blown off". As government refuses 
to furnish him with rain-water to drink, he is compelled, 
whenever his official duties call him to the port of entry, 
to hitch up his buggy and travel five miles to the city of 
San Diego every time he is thirsty. Indeed, so parsimo- 
nious is the Department becoming of late, that it will not 
even allow him a deputy or clerk at public expense, al- 
though there has been one there for years. I look upon 
this as a veiy severe course of discipline to impose upon 
any gentleman whose services are presumed to be worth 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 263 

three thousand dollars per annum, and would recommend 
that he should at least be allowed a bottle of whisky. 

"All these are examples of the manner in which exec- 
utive patronage may be enlarged Avithout inconvenience 
to commerce or obstruction to navigation. If it were 
not for the collectorships, what would the delegation in 
Congress have to make up the complement of their in- 
debtedness to partisan politicians? and if one delegation 
were denied this privilege, how could accounts be settled 
with fellow-members similarly situated in other states ? 
An inspector of customs, at a compensation of five hund- 
red dollars a year (for there is nothing to do), would of 
course answer the requirements of commerce at any of 
these ports ; but then what sort of an office would that 
be to offer to the owner of one or more members of the 
Legislature ? It would be especially severe at Bear Har- 
bor, where there will be no coffee-houses, billiard saloons, 
or other places of amusement for some time. 

"In view of these suggestions being urged upon Con- 
gress by the heads of the departments, I would mention 
that, in the temporary absence of government buildings 
at Bear Harbor, a number of chapadens, or brush tents, 
at present occupied by Indians, can be leased for a term 
of years at a rate of rent not exceeding from five hund- 
red to a thousand dollars each per month. The very 
best of them can be had for less than the rent paid for 
the Union Street Bonded Warehouse in San Francisco, 
toward the building of which government loaned seven- 
ty-two thousand dollars as an advance of rent, and paid, 
by way of interest on the capital, for four years, two 
hundred and eighty-eight thousand dollars ; after which, 
upon the united representation of twenty influential mer- 
chants, a collector and deputy collector of customs, and 
a special agent, that the premises were only worth about 
fourteen thousand per annum, it paid one hundred and 
ten thousand more to abrogate the contract, and as a 
solemn warning to all private individuals and public offi- 
cers not to attempt such a speculation as that again. The 



264 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

chapaden of the chief digger, To-no-wauka, could be pur- 
chased in fee simple for less than twenty-eight thousand 
dollars, which was the exact amount annually expended 
for the rent of the United States Court-rooms at San 
Francisco until my friend Yorick, the government agent, 
reduced it to ten thousand, after which, of course, he was 
removed. 

" As an additional protection to the revenue, I would 
suggest that a revenue cutter be stationed at Bear Hai'- 
bor, modeled after the fashion of a large wash-tub, which 
would be but a slight improvement upon the sailing ca- 
pacity of the three cutters now stationed on the Pacific 
coast. The masts might be constructed out of large tin 
dippers inverted, in the bowls of which marines could be 
stationed to keep a look-out for smugglers. Spare blank- 
ets would answer for the sails, and a large carving-knife 
run out at the stern would serve admirably to steer by. 
In order that there might he no danger of missing the 
way during dark nights from any variation in the com- 
pass, it would be well, perhaps, to abandon the com- 
pass altogether, and send a boat ahead with a light, to 
point out where the rocks and smugglers might be found. 
There being no vessels to catch at Bear Harbor, no in- 
convenience would result from the fact that such a cut- 
ter would be as well calculated to lie at anchor as the 
cutter Marcy at San Francisco, which has been known 
to pursue several vessels for infractions of the revenue 
laws, but never to catch any of them. I attribute this 
not to any want of zeal on the part of the officers, but 
partly to the superior speed of the runaway vessels, and 
partly to the fact that the Marcy is obliged to lie at an- 
chor for six months in the year in the Bay of San Fran- 
cisco for want of other occupation. The remaining six 
months she necessarily spends in the Straits of Carquinas, 
near Benicia, in order to get rid of the barnacles that ac- 
cumulate on her bottom during the term of her sedenta- 
ry career below. 

"If exception should be taken to this precedent on 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 265 

the ground that a revenue cutter may sometimes really 
be wanted at a port of entry where there is some com- 
merce, surely none will be taken to the cutter Lane, sta- 
tioned within the mouth of the Columbia River. For 
the officers of this cutter I entertain the most sincere re- 
spect ; but if she has ever been known to chase any thing 
larger than wild ducks, the fact must have been hushed 
up from motives of public policy. It has certainly not 
been a matter of general comment. About one vessel 
with dutiable merchandise enters the Columbia in the 
course of half a dozen years, and certainly all sailing ves- 
sels have difficulty enough in getting in, without attempt- 
ing to run away after they come to an anchor. Indeed, 
I don't know where they would run to unless it might 
be over the Cascades, and through the Dalles to Walla 
Walla, or up to Oregon City on the Willamette River, 
where the flour-mills of Abernethy & Co. would soon 
grind them to pieces. To suppose that they would un- 
dertake to run away before they get over the bar is to 
suppose that they might just as well stay away altogeth- 
er, and thereby avoid the risk of shipwreck in addition 
to the remote possibility of being captured by a revenue 
cutter. The officers condemned to this station have my 
most ardent sympathies. It generally rains at Astoria 
between two and three hundred days every year, the 
consequence of which is, that the whole country and ev- 
ery thing in it has a mildewed appearance. Already I 
can fancy that barnacles are growing on the beards of 
these gentlemen ; that their skin is becoming slippery 
and green ; their eyes sharkish in expression, from a con- 
stant habit of looking out for smugglers that never can 
be within five hundred miles ; that the habit of pulling 
ashore in the boats and back again ; ' making it so' when 
four and eight bells are announced ; looking up at the 
mast-head and then down again ; going below and read- 
ing the same old newspaper, and coming up again ; turn- 
ing in and taking a nap, and turning out when the nap is 
ended ; exercising their quadrants by an occasional peep 

M 



266 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

at the heavenly bodies ; eating three scanty and melan- 
choly meals a day; doing all this and never doing any 
thing else, unless it may be to superintend the patching 
of an old sail which has rotted to pieces, or the splicing 
of an old rope to keep the blocks from falling down on 
their heads, will eventually so wear upon their mental 
and physical resources as to drive them all mad. Should 
it ever be the misfortune of any suspicious character to 
fall into the hands of these gentlemen, I have no doubt 
he will have reason to regret it during the brief period 
of his existence ; for they will certainly cut him to pieces 
with their swords, or blow him to fragments out of one 
of the public guns, on the general principle that, being 
paid for doing something, they ought to do it as soon as 
possible. 

"The revenue cutter atPuget's Sound, familiarly known 
as the 'Jeff Davis,' finds occasional occupation in chasing 
porpoises and wild Indians. It is to be regretted that 
but little revenue has yet been derived from either of 
these sources ; but should she persist in her efforts, there 
is hope that at no distant day she may overhaul a canoe 
containing a keg of British brandy — that is to say, in case 
the paddles are lost, and the Indians have no means of 
propelling it out of the way. 

"These vessels, in addition to their original cost, which 
was not cheap considering their quality and sailing ca- 
pacity, require an expenditure of some forty or fifty thou- 
sand dollars a year for repairs, rigging, pay of officers 
and men, subsistence, etc., as also for powder to enable 
the officers to kill ducks and salute distinguished people 
that visit these remote regions. Now and then they run 
on the rocks in trying to find their way from one anchor- 
age to another, in which event they require extra repairs. 
As this is for the benefit of navigation, it should not be 
included in the account. They generally avoid running 
on the same rock, and endeavor to find out a new one 
not laid down upon the charts — unless, perhaps, by some 
reckless fly — in order that other vessels may enjoy the 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 267 

advantage of additional experience. The beauty of Bear 
Harbor in this respect is, that a revenue cutter could run 
on a new rock every day in the year, so that, by desig- 
nating its exact location on the chart, there would be 
three hundred and sixty-five rocks per annum to be avoid- 
ed by vessels entering the harbor. 

" Some military protection would probably be required 
there for several years to come, in order to protect the 
citizens from the attacks of grizzly bears. I would sug- 
gest that a post be established on some eligible point, 
and comfortable quarters erected for the officers and sol- 
diers. While these quarters are in progress of erection, 
it might be well to station a large rooster in the top of 
a neighboring tree to give warning of the approach of 
the enemy. As Rome was saved in one way, so might 
Bear Harbor be saved in another. Should it become 
necessary to abandon them, the citizens will no doubt be 
willing to purchase them at public auction. 

"I do not know what the military quarters at Fort 
Miller are going to do, but the last time I saw them they 
looked very sorry they had ever been built. The same 
may be said of the quarters at Benicia, Fort Tejon, and 
San Diego, which goes to prove the transitory character 
of military operations. So long as our army goes about 
the country dropping down beautiful little cities, we in 
the line of civil life can certainly have no objection. As 
expense is no object, perhaps, to the War Department, I 
would suggest that there is a very rugged point of rocks 
near the entrance of Bear Harbor, upon which a friend 
of mine has located a claim that he is willing to sell for 
military purposes for the sum of one hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars. It commands a fine view of the ocean, 
and abounds in mussels and albicores ; besides which, it 
is cheaper and uglier than Lime Point at the entrance of 
the Golden Gate, and would not require near so much 
writing to make the purchase satisfactory to the public. 

"For a few years, during the infancy of the commu- 
nity, it may be necessary for some enterprising citizen to 



268 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

borrow from government one hundred thousand dollars 
at six per cent, per annum, in consequence of the high 
rates of interest in California. There will be no difficulty 
in doing this, I apprehend, if he have influence at court. 
A precedent may be found in the case'of the Folsom es- 
tate, against which judgment had been obtained, and an 
execution placed in the hands of the marshal. Private 
parties found it to their advantage to step in, purchase 
a portion of the property, pay a portion of the debt, and, 
upon giving satisfactory security, assume the remainder, 
amounting to a hundred thousand dollars, at six per cent. 
It may be a little irregular to favor particular parties in 
this way, but then public money had better be bringing 
six per cent, than lying idle in the treasury ; and besides, 
when it is found necessary to issue treasury notes in or- 
der to carry on the government, they bring a premium, 
and there is a gain to that extent over the ready cash. 
If all the public money was loaned out at six per cent., 
and all the private money that might be necessary bor- 
rowed at five, of course the financial condition of the 
treasury would be one per cent, better per annum. 

"After these things were done, and the business of 
Bear Harbor placed upon a permanent footing, private 
instructions might be issued to the collector of customs 
to go out and stump the state in behalf of the great prm- 
ciples of national economy. Experience would enable 
him to stand firmly upon the broad platform of public 
integrity; and when he addressed the multitude, he could 
dwell feelingly on the sublime doctrine of earlier days — 
'Millions for defense, but not a cent for tribute!' He 
could put his hand upon his brow, and solemnly declare 
that, so long as he was gifted with the light of intellect 
to comprehend the sound doctrines of public policy be- 
queathed to us by our forefathers, he would stand by the 
laws and the Constitution. He could put his hand upon 
his heart, and call upon the people to witness that he, for 
one, had ever remained true to first principles. He could 
put his hand upon his stomach, and avow, from the bot- 



MY OFFICIAL EXPERIENCES. 269 

torn of his soul, that he conscientiously indorsed the 
measures of the prevailing party. He could put his hand 
upon his pocket, and affirm in all sincerity that he went 
heart and hand with the reigning powers on all the great 
questions of the day. And, having fully delivered him- 
self on these various points, he could wind up with an 
anecdote from the Schildburghers. When the wise men 
of Schilda undertook to build their grand council-house, 
they carried down on their hacks from the top of a high 
hill a large number of heavy logs. In moving the last 
log, it fell out of their hands and rolled to the bottom of 
the hill. ' Dou't you see,' said the town fool, ' if you had 
started them all in the same way, they would have rolled 
down of their own accord ?' which they admitted was 
true, and accordingly carried all the logs up to the top 
of the hill again, and then rolled them down. So, if the 
people don't like this party, they can roll in another just 
as good. Your obedient servant, etc." 

In my next chapter of experiences I propose giving a 
succinct account of the great Port Townsend Controver- 
sy. This cost me more trouble than all my other expe- 
riences together, and came very near costing me my life. 



270 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 



II. 

THE GREAT PORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY, 
SHOWING HOW WHISKY BUILT A CITY. 

Few persons who have visited the Pacific coast of late 
years are ignorant of the fact that the city of Port Town- 
send is eligibly situated on Puget's Sound, near the Straits 
of Fuca ; and none who have seen that remarkable city 
can hesitate a moment to admit that it is a commercial 
metropolis without parallel. 

Port Townsend is indeed a remarkable place. I am 
not acquainted with quite such another place in the whole 
world. It certainly possesses natural and artificial ad- 
vantages over most of the cities known in the Atlantic 
States or Europe. In front there is an extensive water 
privilege, embracing the various ramifications of Puget's 
Sound. Admiralty Inlet forms an outlet for the exports 
of the country, and Hood's Canal is an excellent place for 
hoodwinking the revenue officers. On the rear, extend- 
ing to Dunganess Point, is a jungle of pine and matted 
brush, through which neither man nor beast can pene- 
trate without considerable effort. This will always be a 
secure place of retreat in case of an invasion from a wai'- 
canoe manned by Northern Indians. With regard to the 
town itself, it is singularly picturesque and diversified. 
The prevailing style of architecture is a mixed order of 
the Gothic, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The houses, 
of which there must be at least twenty in the city and 
suburbs, are built chiefly of pine boards, thatched with 
shingles, canvas, and Avooden slabs. The palace and out- 
buildings of the Duke of York are built of drift-wood 
from the saw-mills of Port Ludlow, and are eligibly lo- 



THE PORT TOWN SEND CONTROVERSY. 271 

cated near the wharf, so as to be convenient to the clams 
and oysters, and afford his maids of honor an opportunity 
of indulging in frequent ablutions. There is somewhat 
of an ancient and fish-like odor about the premises of his 
highness, and it must be admitted that his chimneys 
smoke horribly, but still the artistic effect is very fine at 
a distance. The streets of Port Townsend are paved 
Avith sand, and the public squares are curiously ornament- 
ed with dead horses and the bones of many dead cows, 
upon the beef of which the inhabitants have partially sub- 
sisted since the foundation of the city. This, of course, 
gives a very original appearance to the public pleasure- 
grounds, and enables strangers to know when they arrive 
in the city, by reason of the peculiar odor, so that, even 
admitting the absence of lamps, no person can fail to rec- 
ognize Port Townsend in the darkest night. When it 
was a port of entry under the laws of the United States, 
there was a collector of customs stationed in a small 
shanty on the principal wharf, whose business it was to 
look out for smugglers, and pay the salary of an inspect- 
or who owns some sheep on San Juan Island, and holds 
joint possession of that disputed territory with the Brit- 
ish government. The collector of customs, being unable 
to attend to the many important duties that devolved 
upon him without assistance, was allowed two boatmen, 
whose duty it was to put him on board of suspicious 
vessels in the offing, and one of whom, by virtue of a 
special commission, was ex-officio deputy collector, and 
made up the accounts of the district. 

The principal luxuries afforded' by the market of this 
delightful sea-port are clams, and the carcasses of dead 
whales that drift ashore, by reason of eating which the 
inhabitants have clammy skins, and are given to much 
spouting at public meetings. The prevailing languages 
spoken are the Clallam, Chenook, and Skookum-Chuck, 
or Strong Water, with a mixture of broken English ; and 
all the public notices are written on shingles with burnt 
sticks, and nailed up over the door of the town-hall. A 



272 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

newspaper, issued here once every six months, is printed 
by means of wooden types whittled out of pine knots by 
the Indians, and rubbed against the bottom of the edit- 
or's potato pot. The cast-off shirts of the inhabitants 
answer for paper. For the preservation of public mor- 
als, a jail has been constructed out of logs that drifted 
ashore in times past, in which noted criminals are put for 
safe keeping. The first and last prisoners ever incarcer- 
ated in that institution were eleven Northern Indians, 
who were suspected of the murder of Colonel Ehy at 
Whidbey's Island. As the logs are laid upon sand to 
make the foundation secure, the Indians, while rooting 
for clams one night, happened to come up at the out- 
side of the jail, and finding the watchman, who had been 
placed there by the citizens, fast asleep, with an empty 
whisky bottle in the distance, they stole his blanket, hat, 
boots, and pipe, and bade an affectionate farewell to Port 
Townsend. 

The municipal affairs of the city are managed by a 
mayor and six councilmen, who are elected to office in a 
very peculiar manner. On the day of election, notice 
having been previously given on the town shingles, all 
the candidates for corporate honors go up on the top of 
the hill back of the water-front, and play at pitch-penny 
and quoits till a certain number are declared eligible ; 
after which all the eligible candidates are required to 
climb a greased pole in the centre of the main public 
square. The two best then become eligible for the may- 
oralty, and the twelve next best for the common council. 
These fourteen candidates then get on the roof of the 
town-hall and begin to yell like Indians. Whoever can 
yell the loudest is declared mayor, and the six next loud- 
est become the members of the common council for the 
ensuing year. 

While I had the misfortune to be in public employ 
(and for no disreputable act that I can now remember), 
it became my duty to inquire into the condition of the 
Indians on Puget's Sound. In the course of my tour I 



THE PORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY. 273 

visited this unique city for the purpose of having a 
" wa-wa" with the Duke of York, chief of the Clallam 
tribe. 

The principal articles of commerce, I soon discovered, 
were whisky, cotton handkerchiefs, tobacco, and cigars, 
and the principal shops were devoted to billiards and the 
sale of grog. I was introduced by the Indian Agent to 
the Duke, who inhabited that region, and still disputed 
the possession of the place with the white settlers. If 
the settlers paid him any thing for the land upon which 
they built their shanties it must have been in whisky, for 
the Duke was lying drunk in his wigwam at the time of 
my visit. For the sake of morals, I regret to say that 
he had two wives, ambitiously named " Queen Victoria" 
and "Jenny Lind ;" and for the good repute of Indian 
ladies of rank, it grieves me to add that the Queen and 
Jenny were also very tipsy, if not quite drunk, when I 
called to pay my respects. 

The Duke was lying on a rough wooden bedstead, 
with a bullock's hide stretched over it, enjoying his ease 
with the ladies of his household. When the agent in- 
formed him that a Hyas Tyee, or Big Chief, had called 
to see him with a message from the Great Chief of all 
the Indians, the Duke grunted significantly, as much as 
to say " that's all right." The Queen, who sat near him 
in the bed, gave him a few whacks to rouse him up, and 
by the aid of Jenny Lind succeeded, after a while, in get- 
ting him in an upright position. His costume consisted 
of a red shirt and nothing else, but neither of the royal 
ladies seemed at all put out by the scantiness of his ward- 
robe. There was something very amiable and jolly in 
the face of the old Duke, even stupefied as he was by 
whisky. He shook me by the hand in a friendly manner, 
and, patting his stomach, remarked, " Duke York belly 
good man !" 

Of course I complimented him upon his general repu- 
tation as a good man, and proceeded to make the usual 
speech, derived from the official formula, about the Great 
M 2 







mm I 



THE FORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY. 275 

Chief in Washington, whose children were as numerous 
as the leaves on the trees and the grass on the plains. 

" Oh, dam !" said the Duke, impatiently ; " him send 
any whisky ?" 

• No ; on the contrary, the Great Chief had heard with 
profound regret that the Indians of Puget's Sound were 
addicted to the evil practice of drinking whisky, and it 
made his heart bleed to learn that it was killing them off 
rapidly, and was the principal cause of all their misery. 
It was very cruel and very wicked for white men to sell 
whisky to the Indians, and it was his earnest wish that 
the* law against this illicit traffic might be enforced and 
the offenders punished. 

" Oh, dam !" said the Duke, turning over on his bed, 
and contemptuously waving his hand in termination of 
the interview — " dis Tyee no 'count !" 

While this wa-wa, or grand talk, was going on, the 
Queen put her arms affectionately around the Duke's 
neck, and giggled with admiration at his eloquence. Jen- 
ny sat a little at one side, and seemed to be under the 
combined influence of whisky, jealousy, and a black eye. 
I was subsequently informed that the Duke was in the 
habit of beating both the Queen and Jenny for their re- 
peated quarrels, and when unusually drunk was not par- 
ticular about either the force or direction of his blows. 
This accounted for Jenny's black eye and bruised feat- 
ures, and for the alleged absence of two of the Queen's 
front teeth, which it was said were knocked out in a re- 
cent brawl. 

Some months after my visit to Port Townsend, in writ- 
ing a report on the Indians of Puget's Sound, I took oc- 
casion to refer to the salient points of the above interview 
with the Duke of York, and to make a few remarks touch- 
ing the degraded condition of himself and tribe, attribu- 
ting it to the illegal practice on the part of the citizens of 
selling whisky to the Indians. I stated that his wigwam 
was situated between two whisky-shops, and that the 
Clallams would soon be reduced to the level of bad white 



276 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

men in Port Townsend, " which, to say the least of it, 
was a very benighted place." The report was printed 
by order of Congress, though I was not aware of that 
fact till one day, sitting in my office in San Francisco, I 
received a copy of the "Olympia Democrat" (if I remem- 
ber correctly), containing a series of grave charges against 
me, signed by the principal citizens of Port Townsend. 
I have lost the original documents, but shall endeavor to 
supply the deficiency as well as my memory serves. The 
letter was addressed to the "United States Special 
Agent," and was substantially as follows : 

" Sir, — The undersigned have read your official report 
relative to the Indians of Puget's Sound, and regret that 
you have deemed it necessary to step so far aside from 
the line of your duty as to traduce our fair name and rep- 
utation as citizens of Port Townsend. You will pardon 
us for expressing the opinion that you might have spent 
your time with more credit to yourself and benefit to the 
government. 

" Sir, it may be that on the occasion of your visit here 
the Duke of York and his wives were drunk; but the 
undersigned are satisfied, upon a personal examination, 
that neither Queen Victoria nor Jenny Liud suffered the 
loss of two front teeth, as you state in your report; and 
they are not aware that Jenny Lind's eyes were ever 
blacked by the Duke of York, nor do they believe it, al- 
though you have thought proper to make that statement 
in your report. 

" The undersigned do not pretend to say that there is 
no whisky sold in Port Townsend ; but they deny, sir, 
that you ever saw any of them drunk, or that the citizens 
of Port Townsend, as a class, are at all intemperate. On 
the contrary, they claim to be as orderly, industrious, and 
law-abiding as the citizens of any other town on the Pa- 
cific coast or elsewhere. 

" Sir, it is scarcely possible that you can have forgot- 
ten so soon the marked kindness and hospitality with 



THE PORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY. 277 

which you were treated by the citizens of this place dur- 
ing your sojourn here; and now the return you make is 
to blacken the reputation of our thriving little town, and 
endeavor to destroy our future prospects. You are, of 
course, at liberty to choose your own line of travel, but 
if ever you visit Port Townsend again, we can assure you, 
sir, you will enjoy a very different reception. Had you 
confined your misstatements to the Indians, we might 
have excused it on the ground that it is not customary 
for public officers to adhere strictly to facts in their re- 
ports ; but when you go entirely out of your way, and 
commit such an unprovoked attack upon our character, 
w r e feel bound to set ourselves right before the world. 

"In charity, we can only suppose that you have been 
grossly deceived in your sources of information ; yet, 
when you profess to have -witnessed personally the evil 
effects of whisky in Port Townsend, and go so far as to 
pronounce it ' a benighted place,' we can not evade the 
conclusion that you must have had some experience in 
what you say you witnessed ; either that, or you delib- 
erately committed a base slander upon the citizens of this 
place. Although the undersigned consider themselves 
included in your sweeping assertion, it can not have es- 
caped your memory, sir, that on the occasion of your vis- 
it to Port Townsend you found them engaged in their 
peaceful avocations as useful and respectable members 
of society ; and they positively deny that any of them 
have ever sold whisky to the Indians, or committed the 
crime of murder. 

" Sir, the undersigned have made inquiry into that por- 
tion of your report in which you state that no less than 
six murders were committed here during the past year, 
and can only find that two were committed, and neither 
of them by citizens of this place. The conclusion, there- 
fore, to which the undersigned are forced, is, that you 
were at a loss for something to say, and invented at least 
four murders for the purpose of contributing to the in- 
terest of your report. 



278 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

" Sir, when a respectable community are engaged in 
trying to make an honest living, we think it hardly fair 
that you, as a government agent, should come among 
them, and, without cause or provocation, slander their 
character and injure their reputation. We therefore en- 
ter our solemn protest against the unfounded charges 
made in your report, and respectfully recommend that 
in future you confine yourself to your official duties. 

" (Signed), J. Hodges, B. Punch, T. Thatcher, B. Fletch- 
er, Warren Hastings, Wm. Pitt, J. Fox, E. Burke, and 
eleven others." 

Here was a serious business. I can assure the reader 
that the sensations experienced in the perusal of such a 
document, when addressed to one's self through a public 
newspaper, and signed by fifteen or twenty responsible 
persons, are peculiar and by no means agreeable. For 
a moment I really began to think I was a very bad man, 
and that there must be something uncommonly repre- 
hensible in my conduct. 

Upon the whole, I felt that I was a little in fault, and 
had better apologize. There was no particular necessity 
for introducing Queen Victoria's front teeth and Jenny 
Lind's black eye to Congress ; and, to confess the truth, 
it was really going a little beyond the usual limits of of- 
ficial etiquette to "ring in" a public town possessing 
some valuable political influence. 

I therefore prepared and published in the newspapers 
an Apology, which it seemed to me ought to be satisfac- 
tory. The following is as close a copy of the original as 
I can now write out from memory : 

"San Francisco, Cal., April 1st, 1858. 
" To Messrs. J. Hodges, B. Punch, T. Thatcher, B. Fletch- 
er, Warren Hastings, Wm. Pitt, J. Fox, E. Burke, 
and eleven others, citizens, Port Townsend, W. T. : 
" Gentlemen, — I have read with surprise and regret 
your letter of the 10th alt., in which you make several 



THE PORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY. 279 

very serious charges against me in reference to certain 
statements contained in my report on the Indians of Pu- 
get's Sound. Not the least important of these charges 
is that I stepped aside from the line of my duty to tra- 
duce your fair name and reputation as citizens of Port 
Townsend. You entertain the opinion that I might have 
been better employed — an opinion in which I would 
cheerfully concur if it were not based upon erroneous 
premises. I have not the slightest recollection of hav- 
ing traduced ' your fair name and reputation,' or made 
any reference to you whatever in my report. When I 
alluded to the 'beach-combers, rowdies, and other bad 
characters' in Port Townsend, I had no idea that respect- 
able gentlemen like yourselves would take it as personal. 
Of course, as none of you ever sold whisky to the In- 
dians or committed murder, you do great injustice to 
your own reputation in supposing that the public at large 
would attribute these crimes to you because I mentioned 
them in my report. 

" You deny positively that either Queen Victoria or 
Jenny Lind had her front teeth knocked out by the Duke 
of York. Well, I take that back, for I certainly did not 
examine their mouths as closely as you seem to have 
done. But when you deny that Jenny Lind's eye was 
black, you do me great injustice. I shall insist upon it 
to the latest hour of my existence that it was black — 
deeply, darkly, beautifully black, with a prismatic circle 
of pink, blue, and yellow in the immediate vicinity. I 
cheerfully retract the teeth, but, gentlemen, I hold on to 
the eye. Depend upon it, I shall stand by that eye as 
long as the flag of freedom waves over this glorious re- 
public ! You will admit, at all events, that Jenny had a 
drop in her eye. 

"While you do not pretend to say that there is no 
whisky sold in Port Townsend, you do insist upon it that 
I never saw any of you drunk. Of course not, gentle- 
men. There are several of you that I do not recollect 
having ever seen, either drunk or sober. If I did see 



280 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

any of you under the influence of intoxicating spirits, the 
disguise was certainly effectual, for I am now entirely 
unable to say which of you it was. Besides, I never said 
I saw any of you drunk. It requires a great deal of 
whisky to intoxicate some people, and I should be sorry 
to hazard a conjecture as to the gauge of any citizen of 
Port Townsend. I do not believe you habitually drink 
whisky as a beverage — 'Certainly not Port Townsend 
whisky, for that would kill the strongest man that ever 
lived in less than six months, if he drank nothing else. 
Many of you, no doubt, use tea or coffee at breakfast, 
and it is quite possible that some of you occasionally ven- 
ture upon water. 

" Gentlemen, you were pleased to call my attention to 
certain custom-house claims, Indian claims, and pre-emp- 
tion claims when I was at Port Townsend ; but when 
you ' claim to be as orderly, industrious, and law-abiding 
as the citizens of any other town on the Pacific coast or 
elsewhere,' you go altogether beyond my official juris- 
diction. I think you had better send that claim to Con- 
gress. 

" That ' it is not customary for public officers to ad- 
here strictly to facts for their reports' is a melancholy 
truth. You have me there, gentlemen. Truth is very 
scarce in official documents. It is not expected by the 
public, and it would be utterly thrown away upon Con- 
gress. Besides, the truth is the last thing that would 
serve your purpose as claimants for public money. 

"You are charitable enough to suppose that I may 
have been grossly deceived in my sources of informa- 
tion. Well, you ought to know all about that, for I got 
most of the information from yourselves. As to my re- 
mark that Port Townsend is ' a benighted place,' I am 
astonished that you did not see into the true meaning of 
that expression. It was merely a jocular allusion to the 
absence of lamps in the public streets at night. 

" You do not think it can possibly have escaped my 
memory that I found you engaged in your peaceful avo- 



THE PORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY. 281 

cations as useful and respectable members of society on 
the occasion of my visit to Port Town send. Now, upon 
my honor, I can not remember who it was particularly 
that I saw engaged in peaceful avocations, but I cer- 
tainly saw a good many white men lying about in sunny 
places fast asleep, and a good many more sitting on logs 
of wood whittling small sticks, and apparently waiting for 
somebody to invite them into the nearest saloon ; oth- 
ers I saw playing billiards, and some few standing about 
the corners of the streets, waiting for the houses to grow 
— all of which were unquestionably peaceful, if not strict- 
ly useful avocations. I have no recollection of having 
seen any person engaged in the performance of any la- 
bor calculated to strain his vertebras. 

" The result of your inquiries on the subject of mur- 
der appears to be that only two murders were commit- 
ted in Port Townsend during the past year, instead of 
six, as stated in my report. Well, gentlemen, I was not 
present, and did not participate in any of these alleged 
murders, and cheerfully admit that your sheriff, who 
gave me the information, and whose name is appended 
to your letter, may not have counted them accurately. 
At all events, I take four of them back, and place them 
to the credit of Port Townsend for the ensuing year. I 
utterly disclaim having invented them, though I would 
at any time much rather invent four murders than com- 
mit one. Nor can I admit that I was at a loss for some- 
thing to say. There was abundance of fictitious mate- 
rial presented in the course of my official investigations, 
without rendering it at all necessary for me to resort to 
imaginary murders. And I farther insist upon it that, 
if I did not personally witness the violent death of six 
men in Port Townsend, I heard the king's English most 
cruelly murdered there on at least six different occasions. 
Gentlemen, you need not take any farther trouble about 
' setting yourselves right before the world.' I trust you 
will admit that you are all right now, since I have duly 
made the amende honorable. 



282 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

" Wishing you success in your ' peaceful avocations,' 
and exemption from all future anxiety relative to the 
price of lots in Port Townsencl, I remain, very respect- 
fully, your obedient servant," etc. 

Strange to say, so far from being satisfied with this 
apology, the citizens of Port Townsend were enraged to 
a degree bordering on insanity. The mayor, upon the 
reception of the mail containing the fatal document, call- 
ed the Town Council together, and the schoolmaster read 
it to the Town Council, and the Town Council deliber- 
ated over it for three days, and then unanimously re- 
solved that the author was a "Vile Kalumater, unworthy 
of further Atension, and had beter stere cleer of Port 
Townsend for the Future !" For two years they did 
nothing else, in an official point of view, but write letters 
to the San Francisco papers denouncing the author of 
this Vile Kalumy, and assuring the public that his de- 
scription of Port Townsend was wholly unworthy of 
credit ; that Port Townsend was the neatest, cleanest, 
most orderly, and most flourishing little town on the Pa- 
cific coast. By the time the Frazer River excitement 
broke out, the people of California were well acquainted, 
through the newspapers, with at least one town on Pu- 
get's Sound. If they knew nothing of Whatcomb, Squill- 
Chuck, and other rival places that aspired to popular fa- 
vor, they were no strangers to the reputation of Port 
Townsend. Thousands, who had no particular business 
there, went to take a look at this wonderful town, which 
had given rise to so much controversy. The citizens 
were soon forced to build a fine hotel. Many visitors 
liked the society, and concluded to remain. Others 
thought it would soon be the great centre of commerce 
for all the shipping that would be drawn thither by the 
mineral wealth of Frazer River, and bought city lots on 
speculation. Traders came there and set up stores ; new 
whisky saloons were built ; customers crowded in from 
all parts ; in short, it became a gay and dashing sort of 



THE PORT TOWNSEND CONTROVERSY. 283 

place, and very soon bad quite the appearance of a city. 
When the Frazer River bubble burst, nobody was killed 
at Port Townsend, because it had a strong reputation, 
and could still persuade people that it was bound to be 
a great city at some future period. 

During the following year I made bold to pay my old 
friends a visit. A delegation of the Common Council 
met me on the wharf. There were no hacks yet intro- 
duced, but any number of horses were placed at my dis- 
posal. The greeting was cordial and impressive. A 
most complimentary address was read to me by the 
mayor of the city, in which it was fully and frankly ac- 
knowledged that I was the means of building up the 
fortunes of Port Townsend. After the address, the cit- 
izens with one accord rushed to me, and, grasping me 
w r armly by the hand, at once retracted their injurious 
imputations. These gratifying public demonstrations 
over, we adjourned to the nearest saloon, and buried the 
hatchet forever in an ocean of the best Port Townsend 
"whisky. It is due to the citizens to say that not one of 
them went beyond reasonable bounds on this joyous oc- 
casion, by which I do not mean to intimate that they 
were accustomed to the beverage referred to. At all 
events, I think it has been clearly demonstrated by these 
authentic documents that " whisky built a great city." 



284 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 



III. 

THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. 

When the State of California was admitted into uie 
Union, the number of Indians within its borders was 
estimated at one hundred thousand. Of these, some five 
or six thousand, residing in the vicinity of the Missions, 
were partially civilized, and subsisted chiefly by begging, 
and stealing. A few of the better class contrived to 
avoid starvation by casual labor in the vineyards and on 
the farms of the settlers. They were very poor and very 
corrupt, given to gambling, drinking, and other vices 
prevailing among white men, and to which Indians have 
a natural inclination. As the country became more set- 
tled, it was considered profitable, owing to the high rate 
of compensation for white labor, to encourage these 
Christian tribes to adopt habits of industry, and they 
were employed very generally throughout the state. In 
the vine-growing districts they were usually paid in na- 
tive brandy every Saturday night, put in jail next morn- 
ing for getting drunk, and bailed out on Monday to 
work out the fine imposed upon them by the local au- 
thorities. This system still prevails in Los Angeles, 
where I have often seen a dozen of these miserable 
wretches carried to jail roaring drunk of a Sunday morn- 
ing. The inhabitants of Los Angeles .are a moral and 
intelligent people, and many of them disapprove of the 
custom on principle, and hope it will be abolished as 
soon as the Indians are all killed off. Practically, it is 
not a bad way of bettering their condition ; for some of 
them die every week from the effects of debauchery, or 
kill one another in the nocturnal brawls which prevail in 
the outskirts of the Pueblo. 



286 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

The settlers in the northern portions of the state had 
a still more effectual method of encouraging the Indians 
to adopt habits of civilization. In general, they engaged 
them at a fixed rate of wages to cultivate the ground, 
and during the season of labor fed them on beans, and 
gave them a blanket or a shirt each ; after which, when 
the harvest was secured, the account was considered 
squared, and the Indians were driven off to forage in the 
woods for themselves and families during the winter. 
Starvation usually wound up a considerable number of 
the old and decrepit ones every season ; and of those 
that failed to perish from hunger or exposure, some 
were killed on the general principle that they must have 
subsisted by stealing cattle, for it was well known that 
cattle ranged in the vicinity, while others were not un- 
frequently slaughtered by their employers for helping 
themselves to the refuse portions of the crop which had 
been left in the ground. It may be said that these were 
exceptions to the general rule ; but if ever an Indian 
was fully and honestly paid for his labor by a white set- 
tler, it was not my luck to hear of it ; certainly it could 
not have been of frequent occurrence. 

The Avild Indians inhabiting the Coast Range, the val- 
leys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, and the west- 
ern slope of the Sierra Nevada, became troublesome at 
a very early period after the discovery of the gold mines. 
It was found convenient to take possession of their coun- 
try without recompense, rob them of their wives and 
children, kill them in every cowardly and barbarous 
manner that could be devised, and when that was im- 
practicable, drive them as far as possible out of the way. 
Such treatment was not consistent with their rude ideas 
of justice. At best they were an ignorant race of Dig- 
gers, wholly unacquainted with our enlightened institu- 
tions. They could not understand why they should be 
murdered, robbed, and hunted down in this way, with- 
out any other pretense of provocation than the color of 
their skin and the habits of life to which they had al- 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFOKNIA. 287 

ways been accustomed. In the traditionary researches 
of their most learned sages they had never heard of the 
snakes in Ireland that were exterminated for the public 
benefit by the great and good St. Patrick. They were 
utterly ignorant of the sublime doctrine of General Wel- 
fare. The idea, strange as it may appear, never occur- 
red to them that they were suffering for the great cause 
of civilization, which, in the natural course of things, 
must exterminate Indians. Actuated by base motives 
of resentment, a few of them occasionally rallied, prefer- 
ring rather to die than submit to these imaginary wrongs. 
"White men were killed from time to time; cattle were 
driven off; horses were stolen, and various other iniqui- 
tous offenses were committed. 

The federal government, as is usual in cases where the 
lives of valuable voters are at stake, was forced to inter- 
fere. Troops were sent out to aid the settlers in slaugh- 
tering the Indians. By means of mounted howitzers, 
muskets, Minie rifles, dragoon pistols, and sabres, a good 
many were cut to pieces. But, on the whole, the gener- 
al policy of the government was pacific. It was not de- 
signed to kill any more Indians than might be necessary 
to secure the adhesion of the honest yeomanry of the 
state, and thus furnish an example of the practical work- 
ing of our political system to the savages of the forest, 
by which it was hoped they might profit. Congress 
took the matter in hand at an early day, and appropria- 
ted large sums of money for the purchase of cattle and 
agricultural implements. From the wording of the law, 
it would appear that these useful articles were designed 
for the relief and maintenance of the Indians. Commis- 
sioners were appointed at handsome salaries to treat 
with them, and sub-agents employed to superintend the 
distribution of the purchases. In virtue of this munifi- 
cent policy, treaties were made in which the various 
tribes were promised a great many valuable presents, 
which of course they never got. There was no reason 
to suppose they ever should ; it being a fixed principle 



288 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

with strong powers never to ratify treaties made by 
their own agents with weaker ones, when there is money 
to pay and nothing to be had in return. 

The cattle were purchased, however, to the number 
of many thousands. Here arose another difficulty. The 
honest miners must have something to eat, and what 
could they have more nourishing than fat cattle ? Good 
beef has been a favorite article of subsistence with men 
of bone and muscle ever since the days of the ancient 
Romans. So the cattle, or the greater part of them, 
were driven up to the mines, and sold at satisfactory 
rates — probably for the benefit of the Indians, though I 
never could understand in what way their necessities 
were relieved by this speculation, unless it might be that 
the parties interested turned over to them the funds 
received for the cattle. It is very certain they contin- 
ued to starve and commit depredations in the most un- 
grateful manner for some time after ; and, indeed, to 
such a pitch of audacity did they carry their rebellious 
spirit against the constituted authorities, that many of 
the chiefs protested if the white people would only let 
them alone, and give them the least possible chance to 
make a living, they would esteem it a much greater fa- 
vor than any relief they had experienced from the munif- 
icent donations of Congress. 

But government was not to be defeated in its benevo- 
lent intentions. Voluminous reports were made to Con- 
gress, showing that a general reservation system, on the 
plan so successfully pursued by the Spanish missionaries, 
would best accomplish the object. It was known that 
the Missions of California had been built chiefly by In- 
dian labor ; that during their existence the priests had 
fully demonstrated the capacity of this race for the ac- 
quisition of civilized habits; that extensive vineyards 
and large tracts of land had been cultivated solely by 
Indian labor, under their instruction ; and that by this 
humane system of teaching many hostile tribes had been 
subdued, and enabled not only to support themselves, 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA, 289 

but to render the Missions highly profitable establish- 
ments. 

No aid was given by government beyond the grants 
of land necessary for missionary purposes; yet they 
soon grew wealthy, owned immense herds of cattle, sup- 
plied agricultural products to the rancheros, and carried 
on a considerable trade in hides and tallow with the 
United States. If the Spanish priests could do this 
without arms or assistance, in the midst of a savage 
country, at a period when the Indians were more nu- 
merous and more powerful than they are now, surely 
it conld be done in a comparatively civilized country by 
intelligent Americans, with all the lights of experience 
and the co-operation of a beneficent government. 

At least Congress thought so ; and in 1853 laws were 
passed for the establishment of a reservation system in 
California, and large appropriations were made to carry 
it into effect. Tracts of land of twenty-five thousand 
acres were ordered to be set apart for the use of the In- 
dians ; officers were appointed to supervise the affairs of 
the service ; clothing, cattle, seeds, and agricultural im- 
plements were purchased ; and a general invitation was 
extended to the various tribes to come in and learn how 
to work like white men. The first reservation was es- 
tablished at the Tejon, a beautiful and fertile valley in 
the southern part of the state. Head-quarters for the 
employes, and large granaries for the crops, were erect- 
ed. The Indians were feasted on cattle, and every thing 
promised favorably. True, it cost a great deal to get 
started, about $250,000 ; but a considerable crop was 
raised, and there was every reason to hope that the ex- 
periment would prove successful. In the course of time 
other reservations were established, one in the foot-hills 
of the Sacramento Valley, at a place called Nome Lackee ; 
one at the mouth of the Noyo River, south of Cape 
Mendocino ; and one on the Klamath, below Crescent 
City; besides which, there were Indian farms, or ad- 
juncts, of these reservations at the Fresno, Nome Cult 

N 



290 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

or Round Valley, the Mattole Valley, near Cape Mendo- 
cino, and other points where it was deemed advisable 
to give aid and instruction to the Indians. The cost of 
these establishments was such as to justify the most san- 
guine anticipations of their success. 

In order that the appropriations might be devoted 
to their legitimate purpose, and the greatest possible 
amount of instruction furnished at the least expense, the 
Executive Department adopted the policy of selecting 
officers experienced in the art of jmblic speaking, and 
thoroughly acquainted with the prevailing systems of 
primary elections. A similar policy had been found to 
operate beneficially in the case of Collectors of Customs, 
and there was no reason why it should not in other- 
branches of the public service. Gentlemen skilled in the 
tactics of state Legislatures, and capable of influencing 
those refractory bodies by the exercise of moral suasion, 
could be relied upon to deal with the Indians, who are 
not so far advanced in the arts of civilization, and whose 
necessities, in a pecuniary point of view, are not usually 
so urgent. Besides, it was known that the Digger tribes 
were exceedingly ignorant of our political institutions, 
and required more instruction, perhaps, in this branch 
of knowledge than in any other. The most intelligent 
of the chiefs actually had no more idea of the respective 
merits of the great candidates for senatorial honors in 
California than if those distinguished gentlemen had nev- 
er been born. As to primary meetings and caucuses, 
the poor Diggers, in their simplicity, were just as apt to 
mistake them for some favorite game of thimblerig or 
pitch-penny as for the practical exercise of the great sys- 
tem of free suffrage. They could not make out why men 
should drink so much whisky and swear so hard unless 
they were gambling ; and if any farther proof was neces- 
sary, it was plain to see that the game was one of haz- 
ard, because the players were constantly whispering to 
each other, and passing money from hand to hand, and 
from pocket to pocket. The only difference they could 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. 291 

see between the different parties was that some had 
more money than others, but they had no idea where it 
came from. To enlighten them on all these points was, 
doubtless, the object of the great appointing powers in 
selecting good political speakers to preside over them. 
After building their houses, it was presumed that there 
would be plenty of stumps left in the woods from which 
they could be taught to make speeches on the great 
questions of the day, and where a gratifying scene might 
be witnessed, at no remote period, of big and little Dig- 
gers holding forth from every stump in support of the 
presiding administration. For men who possessed an 
extraordinary capacity for drinking ardent spirits ; who 
could number among their select friends the most noto- 
rious vagrants and gamblers in the state ; who spent 
their days in idleness and their nights in brawling grog- 
shops ; whose habits, in shoi't, were in every way disrep- 
utable, the authorities in Washington entertained a very 
profound antipathy. I know this to-be the case, be- 
cause the most stringent regulations were established 
prohibiting persons in the service from getting drunk, 
and official orders written warning them that they would 
be promptly removed in case of any misconduct. Cir- 
cular letters were also issued, and posted up at the dif- 
ferent reservations, forbidding the employes to adopt 
the wives of the Indians, which it was supposed they 
might attempt to do from too zealous a disposition to 
cultivate friendly relations with both sexes. In support 
of this policy, the California delegation made it a point 
never to indorse any person for office in the service who 
was not considered peculiarly deserving of patronage. 
They knew exactly the kind of men that were wanted, 
because they lived in the state and had read about the 
Indians in the newspapers. Some of them had even vis- 
ited a few of the wigwams. Having the public welfare 
at heart — a fact that can not be doubted, since they re- 
peatedly asserted it in their speeches — they saw where 
the great difficulty lay, and did all in their power to aid 



292 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

the executive. They indorsed the very best friends they 
had — gentlemen who had contributed to their election, 
and fought for them through thick and thin. The ca- 
pacity of such persons for conducting the affairs of a 
reservation could not be doubted. If they had cultiva- 
ted an extensive acquaintance among pot-house voters, 
of course they must understand the cultivation of pota- 
toes and onions ; if they could control half a dozen mem- 
bers of the Legislature in a senatorial contest, why not 
be able to control Indians, who were not near so difficult 
to manage ? if they could swallow obnoxious measures 
of the administration, were they not qualified to teach 
savages how to swallow government provisions? if they 
were honest enough to avow, in the face of corrupt and 
hostile factions, that they stood by the Constitution, and 
always meant to stand by the same broad platform, were 
they not honest enough to disburse public funds? 

In one respect, I think the policy of the government 
was unfortunate — that is, in the disfavor with which per- 
sons of intemperate and disreputable habits were regard- 
ed. Men of this kind — and they are not difficult to find 
in California — could do a great deal toward meliorating 
the moral condition of the Indians by drinking up all 
the whisky that might be smuggled on the reservations, 
and behaving so disreputably in general that no Indian, 
however degraded in his propensities, could fail to be- 
come ashamed of such low vices. 

In accordance with the views of the Department, it 
was deemed to be consistent with decency that these 
untutored savages should be clothed in a more becoming 
costume than Nature had bestowed upon them. Most 
of them were as ignorant of covering as they were of 
the Lecompton Constitution. With the exception of a 
few who had worked for the settlers, they made their 
first appearance on the reservations very much as they 
appeared when they first saw daylight. It was a great 
object to make them sensible of the advantages of civili- 
zation by covering their backs while cultivating their 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. 293 

brains. ■ Blankets, shirts, and pantaloons, therefore, were 
purchased for them in large quantities. It is presumed 
that when the Department read the vouchers for these 
articles, and for the potatoes, beans, and cattle that were 
so plentifully sprinkled through the accounts, it imag- 
ined that it was "clothing the naked and feeding the 
hungry !" 

The blankets, to be sure, were very thin, and cost a 
great deal of money in proportion to their value ; but, 
then, peculiar advantages were to be derived from the 
transparency of the fabric. In some respects the worst 
material might be considered the most economical. By 
holding his blanket to the light, an Indian could enjoy 
the contemplation of both sides of it at the same time ; 
and it would only require a little instruction in architect- 
ure to enable him to use it occasionally as a window to 
his wigwam. Every blanket being marked by a num- 
ber of blotches, he could carry his window on his back 
whenever he went out on a foraging expedition, so as 
to know the number of his residence when he returned, 
as the citizens of Schilda carried their doors when they 
went away from home, in order that they should not 
forget where they lived. Nor was it the least import- 
ant consideration, that when he gambled it away, or 
sold it for whisky, he would not be subject to any incon- 
venience from a change of temperature. The shirts and 
pantaloons were in general equally transparent, and pos- 
sessed this additional advantage, that they very soon 
cracked open in the seams, and thereby enabled the 
squaws to learn how to sew. 

As many of the poor wretches were afflicted with dis- 
eases incident to their mode of life, and likely to con- 
tract others from the white employes of the reservations, 
physicians were appointed to give them medicine. Of 
course Indians required a peculiar mode of treatment. 
They spoke a barbarous jargon, and it was not possible 
that any thing but barbarous compounds could operate 
on their bowels. Of what use would it be to waste 



294 OBSEEVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

good medicines on stomachs that were incapable of com- 
prehending their use? ♦Accordingly, any deficiency in 
the quality was made up by the quantity and variety. 
Old drug stores were cleared of their rubbish, and vast 
quantities of croton oil, saltpetre, alum, paint, scent-bot- 
tles, mustard, vinegar, and other valuable laxatives, dia- 
phoretics, and condiments were supplied for their use. 
The result was, that, aided by the peculiar system of 
diet adopted, the physicians were enabled very soon to 
show a considerable roll of patients. In cases where 
the blood was ascertained to be scorbutic, the patients 
were allowed to go out in the valleys, and subsist for a 
few months on clover or grass, which was regarded as a 
sovereign remedy. I was assured at one reservation 
that fresh spring grass had a more beneficial effect on 
them than the medicines, as it generally purged them. 
The Department was fully advised of these facts in elab- 
orate reports made by its special emissaries, and con- 
gratulated itself upon the satisfactory progress of the 
system. The elections were going all right — the coun- 
try was safe. Feeding Indians on grass was advancing 
them at least one step toward a knowledge of the sacred 
Scriptures. It was following the time-honored prece- 
dent of Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, who was 
driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and was wet 
with the dews of heaven till his hairs were grown like ea- 
gles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. An ounce 
of croton oil would go a great way in lubricating the in- 
testines of an entire tribe of Indians ; and if the paint 
could not be strictly classed with any of the medicines 
known in the official dispensary, it might at least be 
used for purposes of clothing during the summer months. 
Red or green pantaloons painted on the legs of the In- 
dians, and striped blue shirts artistically marked out on 
their bodies, would be at once cool, economical, and pic- 
turesque. If these things cost a great deal of money, 
as appeared by the vouchers, it Avas a consolation to 
know that, money being the root of all evil, no injurious 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. 295 

effects could grow out of such a root after it had been 
once thoroughly eradicated. 

The Indians were also taught the advantages to be 
derived from the cultivation of the earth. Large sup- 
plies of potatoes were purchased in San Francisco, at 
about double what they were worth in the vicinity of 
the reservations. There were only twenty-five thou- 
sand acres of public land available at each place for the 
growth of potatoes or any other esculent for which the 
hungry natives might have a preference ; but it was 
much easier to purchase potatoes tfian to make farmers 
out of the white men employed to teach them how to 
cultivate the earth. Sixteen or seventeen men on each 
reservation had about as much as they could do to at- 
tend to their own private claims, and keep the natives 
from eating their private crops. It was not the policy 
of government to reward its friends for their "adhesion 
to the Constitution" by requiring them to perform any 
practical labor at seventy-five or a hundred dollars a 
month, which was scarcely double the current wages of 
the day. Good men could obtain employment any where 
by working for their wages; but it required the best 
kind of administration men to earn extraordinary com- 
pensations by an extraordinary amount of idleness. Not 
that they were all absolutely worthless. On the contra- 
ry, some spent their time in hunting, others in riding 
about the country, and a considerable number in laying 
out and supervising private claims, aided by Indian la- 
bor and government provisions. 

The official reports transmitted to Congress from time 
to time gave flattering accounts of the progress of the 
system. The extent and variety of the crops were fabu- 
lously grand. Immense numbers of Indians were fed and 
clothed — on paper. Like little children who cry for 
medicines, it would appear that the whole red race were 
so charmed with the new schools of industry that they 
were weeping to be removed there and set to work. In- 
deed, many of them had already learned to work "like 



29G OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

white men ;" they were bending to it cheerfully, and 
could handle the plow and the sickle very skillfully, cast^ 
ing away their bows and arrows, and adopting the more 
effective instruments of agriculture. No mention was 
made of the fact that these working Indians had acquired 
their knowledge from the settlers, and that, if they worked 
after the fashion of the white men on the reservations, it 
was rarely any of them were obliged to go to the hospi- 
tal in consequence of injuries resulting to the spinal col- 
umn. The favorite prediction of the officers in charge 
was, that in a very short time these institutions would be 
self-sustaining — that is to say, that neither they nor the 
Indians would want any more money after a while. 

It may seem strange that the appropriations demand- 
ed of Congress did not decrease in a ratio commensurate 
with these flattering reports. The self-sustaining period 
had not yet come. On the contrary, as the Indians 
were advancing into the higher branches of education 
— music, dancing, and the fine arts, moral philosophy 
and ethics, political economy, etc. — it required more 
money to teach them. The number had been consider- 
ably diminished by death and desertion ; but then their 
appetites had improved, and they were getting a great 
deal smarter. Besides, politics were becoming sadly en- 
tangled in the state, and many agents had to be em- 
ployed in the principal cities to protect the women and 
children from any sudden invasion of the natives while 
the patriotic male citizens were at the polls depositing 
their votes. 

The Department, no doubt, esteemed all this to be a 
close approximation to the Spanish Mission system, and 
in some respects it was. The priests sought the conver- 
sion of heathens, who believed neither in the Divinity 
nor the Holy Ghost ; the Department the conversion of 
infidels, who had no faith in the measures of the admin- 
istration. If there was any. material difference, it was 
in the Head of the Church, and the missionaries appoint- 
ed to carry its views into effect. 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. 297 

But the most extraordinary feature in the history of 
this service in California was the interpretation given by 
the federal authorities in Washington to the Independ- 
ent Treasury Act of 1 846. That stringent provision, pro- 
hibiting any public officer from using for private pur- 
poses, loaning, or depositing in any bank or banking in- 
stitution any public funds committed to his charge ; 
transmitting for settlement any voucher for a greater 
amount than that actually paid ; or appropriating such 
funds to any other purpose than that prescribed by law, 
was so amended in the construction of the Department 
as to mean, " except in cases where such officer has ren- 
dered peculiar services to the party and possesses strong 
influences in Congress." When any infraction of the 
law was reported, it was subjected to the test of this 
amended reading ; and if the conditions were found sat- 
isfactory, the matter was disposed of in a pigeon-hole. 
An adroit system of accountability was established, by 
which no property return, abstract of issues, account cur- 
rent, or voucher, was understood to mean what it ex- 
pressed upon its face, so that no accounting officer pos- 
sessing a clew to the policy adopted could be deceived 
by the figures. Thus it was perfectly well understood 
that five hundred or a thousand head of cattle did not 
necessarily mean real cattle with horns, legs, and tails, 
actually born in the usual course of nature, purchased for 
money, and delivered on the reservations, but prospect- 
ive cattle, that might come into existence and be wanted 
at some future period. For all the good the Indians got 
of them, it might as well be five hundred or a thousand 
head of voters, for they no more fed upon beef, as a gen- 
eral thing, than they did upon human rlesh. 

Neither was it beyond the capacity of the Department 
to comprehend that traveling expenses on special Indian 
service might just as well mean a trip to the Convention 
at Sacramento ; that guides and assistants were a very 
indefinite class of gentlemen of a roving turn of mind ; 
that expenses incurred in visiting wild tribes and set- 
N2 



298 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

tling difficulties among them did not necessarily involve 
the exclusion of difficulties among the party factions in 
the Legislature. In short, the original purpose of lan- 
guage was so perverted in the official correspondence 
that it had no more to do with the expression of facts 
than many of the employes had to do with the Indians. 
The reports and regulations of the Department actually 
bordered on the poetical. It was enough to bring tears 
into the eyes of any feeling man to read the" affecting 
dissertations that were transmitted to Congress on the 
woes of the Red men, and the labors of the public func- 
tionaries to meliorate their unhappy condition. Faith, 
hope, and charity abounded in them. " See what we are 
doing for these poor children of the forest !" was the 
burden of the song, in a strain worthy the most pathetic 
flights of Mr. Pecksniff; " see how faithful we are to our 
trusts, and how judiciously we expend the appropria- 
tions ! Yet they die off in spite of us — wither away as 
the leaves of the trees in autumn! Let us hope, never- 
theless, that the beneficent intentions of Congress may 
yet be realized. We are the guardians of these unfor- 
tunate and defenseless beings ; they are our wards ; it is 
our duty to take care of them ; we can afford to be lib- 
eral, and spend a little more money on them. Through 
the judicious efforts of our public functionaries, and the 
moral influences spread around them, there is reason to 
believe they will yet embrace civilization and Christian- 
ity, and become useful members of society." In accord- 
ance with these views, the regulations issued by the De- 
partment were of the most stringent character — encour- 
aging economy, industry, and fidelity ; holding all agents 
and employes to a strict accountability ; with here and 
there some instructive maxim of morality — all of which, 
upon being translated, meant that politicians are very 
smart fellows, and it was not possible for them to hum- 
bug one another. " Do your duty to the Indians as far 
as you can conveniently, and without too great a sacri- 
fice of money ; but stand by our friends, and save the 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. 299 

party by all means aud at all hazards. Verbum sap /" 
was the practical construction. 

When public clamor called attention to these supposed 
abuses, and it became necessary to make some effective 
demonstration of honesty, a special agent was directed 
to examine into the affairs of the service and report the 
result. It was particularly enjoined upon him to investi- 
gate every complaint affecting the integrity of public of- 
ficers, collect and transmit the proofs of malfeasance, with 
his own views in the premises, so that every abuse might 
be uprooted and cast out of the service. Decency in of- 
ficial conduct must be respected and the public eye re- 
garded ! Peremptory measures would be taken to sup- 
press all frauds upon the Treasury. It Avas the sincere 
desire of the administration to preserve purity and integ- 
rity in the public service. 

From mail to mail, during a period of three years, the 
agent made his reports ; piling up proof upon proof, and 
covering acres of valuable paper with protests and re- 
monstrances against the policy pursued ; racking his 
brains to do his duty faithfully ; subjecting himself to 
newspaper abuse for neglecting it, because no beneficial 
result was perceptible, and making enemies as a matter 
of course. Reader, if ever you aspire to official honors, 
let the fate of that unfortunate agent be a warning to 
you. He did exactly what he was instructed to do, 
which was exactly what he was not wanted to do. In 
order to save time and expense, as well as farther loss 
of money in the various branches of public service upon 
which he had reported, other agents were sent out to as- 
certain if he had told the truth ; and when they were 
forced to admit that he had, there was a good deal of 
trouble in the wigwam of the great chief. Not only did 
poor Yorick incur the hostility of powerful senatorial in- 
fluences, but by persevering in his error, and insisting 
that he had told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing 
but the truth, he eventually lost the respect and confi- 
dence of the "powers that be," together with his official 



300 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

head. I knew him well. He was a fellow of infinite 
jest. There was something so exquisitely comic in the 
idea of taking official instructions literally, and carrying 
them into effect, that he could not resist it. The humor 
of the thing kept him in a constant chuckle of internal 
satisfaction ; but it was the most serious jest he ever 
perpetrated, for it cost him, besides the trouble of carry- 
ing it out, the loss of a very comfortable per diem. 

The results of the policy pursued were precisely such 
as might have been expected. A very large amount of 
money was annually expended in feeding white men and 
starving Indians. Such of the latter as were physically 
able took advantage of the tickets-of-leave granted them 
so freely, and left. Very few ever remained at these be- 
nevolent institutions when there was a possibility of get- 
ting any thing to eat in the woods. Every year num- 
bers of them perished from neglect and disease, and some 
from absolute starvation. When it was represented in 
the official reports that two or three thousand enjoyed 
the benefit of aid from government within the limits of 
each district — conveying the idea that they were fed and 
clothed at public expense — it must have meant that the 
Territory of California originally cost the United States 
fifteen millions of dollars, and that the nuts and berries 
upon which the Indians subsisted, and the fig-leaves in 
which they were supposed to be clothed, were embraced 
within the cessions made by Mexico. At all events, it 
invariably happened, when a visitor appeared on the res- 
ervations, that the Indians were " out in the mountains 
gathering nuts and berries." This was the case in spring, 
summer, autumn, and winter. They certainly possessed 
a remarkable predilection for staying out a long time. 
Very few of them, indeed, have yet come back. The 
only difference between the existing state of things and 
that which existed prior to the inauguration of the sys- 
tem is, that there were then some thousands of Indians 
living within the limits of the districts set apart for res- 
ervation purposes, whereas there are now only some 



302 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

hundreds. In the brief period of six years they have 
been very nearly destroyed by the generosity of govern- 
ment.* What neglect, starvation, and disease have not 
done, has been achieved by the co-operation of the white 
settlers in the great work of extermination. 

No pretext has been wanted, no opportunity lost, 
whenever it has been deemed necessary to get them out 
of the way. At JSTome Cult Valley, during the winter 
of 1858-59, more than a" hundred and fifty peaceable In- 
dians, including women and children, were cruelly slaugh- 
tered by the whites who had settled there under official 
authority, and most of whom derived their support either 
from actual or indirect connection with the reservation. 
Many of them had been in public employ, and now en- 
joyed the rewards of their meritorious services. True, 
a notice was posted up on the trees that the valley was 
public land reserved for Indian purposes, and not open 
to settlement ; but nobody, either in or out of the serv- 
ice, paid any attention to that, as a matter of course. 
When the Indians w T ere informed that it was their home, 
and were invited there on the pretext that they would 
be protected, it was very well understood that, as soon 
as government had spent money enough there to build 
up a settlement sufficiently strong to maintain itself, they 
would enjoy very slender chances of protection. It was 
alleged that they had driven off and eaten private cattle. 
There were some three or four hundred head of public 
cattle on the property returns, all supposed to be rang- 
ing in the same vicinity; but the private cattle must 
have been a great deal better, owing to some superior 
capacity for eating grass. Upon an investigation of this 
charge, made by the officers of the army, it was found to 
be entirely destitute of truth : a few cattle had been lost, 
or probably killed by white pien, and this was the whole 
basis of the massacre. Armed parties went into the 
rancherias in open day, when no evil was apprehended, 
and shot the Indians down — weak, harmless, and defense- 
less as they were — without distinction of age or sex ; 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. 303 

shot clown women with sucking babes at their breasts ; 
killed or crippled the naked children that were running 
about ; and, after they had achieved this brave exploit, 
appealed to the state government for aid ! Oh, Shame, 
Shame, where is thy blush, that white men should do 
this with impunity in a civilized country, under the very 
eyes of an enlightened government! They did it, and 
they did more ! For days, weeks, and months they 
ranged the hills of Nome Cult, killing every Indian that 
was too weak to escape ; and, what is worse, they did it 
under a state commission, which in all charity I must be- 
lieve was issued upon false representations. A more 
cruel series of outrages than those perpetrated upon the 
poor Indians of Nome Cult never disgraced a community 
of white men. The state said the settlers must be pro- 
tected, and it protected them — protected them from 
women and children, for the men are too imbecile and 
too abject to fight. The general government folded its 
arms and said, " What can we do ? We can not chastise 
the citizens of a state. Are we not feeding and clothing 
the savages, and teaching them to be moral, and is not 
that as much as the civilized world can ask of us ?" 

At King's River, where there was a public farm main- 
tained at considerable expense, the Indians were collect- 
ed in a body of two or three hundred, and the white set- 
tlers, who complained that government would not do any 
thing for them, drove them over to the Agency at the 
Fresno. After an exj^enditure of some thirty thousand 
dollars a year for six years, that farm had scarcely pro- 
duced six blades of grass, and Avas entirely unable to 
support over a few dozen Indians who had always lived 
there, and who generally foraged for their own subsist- 
ence. The new-comers, therefore, stood a poor chance 
till the agent purchased from the white settlers, on pub- 
lic account, the acorns which they (the Indians) had 
gathered and laid up for winter use at King's River. 
Notwithstanding the acorns, they were very soon starved 
out at the Fresno, and wandered away to find a subsist- 



304 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

ence wherever they could. Many of them perished of 
hunger on the plains of the San Joaquin. The rest are 
presumed to be in the mountains gathering berries. 

At the Mattole Station, near Cape Mendocino, a num- 
ber of Indians were murdered on the public farm within 
a few hundred yards of the head-quarters. The settlers 
in the valley alleged that government would not support 
them, or take any care of them ; and as settlers were not 
paid for doing it, they must kill them to get rid of them. 

At Humboldt Bay, and in the vicinity, a series of In- 
dian massacres by white men continued for over two 
years. The citizens held public meetings, and protested 
against the action of the general government in leaving 
these Indians to prowl upon them for a support. It was 
alleged that the reservations cost two hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars a year, and yet nothing was done to re- 
lieve the people of this burden. Petitions were finally 
sent to the state authorities asking for the removal of 
the Indians from that vicinity ; and the state sent out its 
militia, killed a good many, and captured a good many 
others, who were finally carried down to the Mendocino 
reservation. They liked that place so well that they left 
it very soon, and went back to their old places of resort, 
preferring a chance of life to the certainty of starvation. 
During the winter of last year a number of them were 
gathered at Humboldt. The whites thought it was a 
favorable opportunity to get rid of them altogether. So 
they went in a body to the Indian camp, during the 
night when the poor wretches were asleep, shot all the 
men, women, and children they could at the first on- 
slaught, and cut the throats of the remainder. Very few 
escaped. Next morning sixty bodies lay weltering in 
their blood — the old and the young, male and female — 
with every wound gaping a tale of horror to the civilized 
world. Children climbed upon their mothers' breasts, 
and sought nourishment from the fountains that death 
had drained ; girls and boys lay here and there with 
their throats cut from ear to ear ; men and women, cling- 




VROTEUTING THE 8ETTLBK8. 



306 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

ing to each other in their terror, were found perforated 
with bullets or cut to pieces with knives — all were cruel- 
ly murdered! Let any one who doubts this read the 
newspapers of San Francisco of that date. It will be 
fouud there in its most bloody and tragic details. Let 
them read of the Pitt River massacre, and of all the mas- 
sacres that for the past three years have darkened the 
records of the state. 

I will do the white people who were engaged in these 
massacres the justice to say that they were not so much 
to blame as the general government. They had at least 
given due warning of their intention. For years they 
had burdened the mails with complaints of the ineffi- 
ciency of the agents; they had protested in the newspa- 
pers, in public meetings, in every conceivable way, and 
on every possible occasion, against the impolicy of per- 
mitting these Indians to roam about the settlements, 
picking up a subsistence in whatever way they could, 
when there was a fund of $250,000 a year appropriated 
by Congress for their removal to and support on the res- 
ervations. What were these establishments for ? Why 
did they not take charge of the Indians ? Where were 
the agents ? What was done with the money ? It was 
repeatedly represented that, unless something was done, 
the Indians would soon all be killed. They could no 
longer make a subsistence in their old haunts. The 
progress of settlement had driven them from place to 
place till there was no longer a spot on earth they could 
call their own. Their next move could only be into the 
Pacific Ocean. If ever an unfortunate people needed a 
few acres of ground to stand upon, and the poor privi- 
lege of making a living for themselves, it was these hap- 
less Diggers. As often as they tried the reservations, 
sad experience taught them that these were institutions 
for the benefit of white men, not Indians. It was won- 
derful how the employes had prospered on their salaries. 
They owned fine ranches in the vicinity ;• in fact, the res- 
ervations themselves 'were pretty much covered with the 



THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA. 307 

claims of persons in the service, who thought they would 
make nice farms for white men. The principal work 
done was to attend to sheep and cattle speculations, and 
make shepherds out of the few Indians that were left. 

What did it signify that thirty thousand dollars a year 
had been expended at the Tejon ? thirty thousand at the 
Fresno? fifty thousand at Nome Lackee ? ten thousand 
at Nome Cult ? forty-eight thousand at Mendocino ? six- 
teen thousand at the Klamath ? and some fifty or sixty 
thousand for miscellaneous purposes ? that all this had 
resulted in the reduction of a hundred thousand Indians 
to about thirty thousand ?• Meritorious services had 
been rewarded, and a premium in favor of public integ- 
rity issued to an admiring world. 

I am satisfied, from an acquaintance of eleven years 
with the Indians of California, that, had the least care 
been taken of them, these disgraceful massacres would 
never have occurred. A more inoffensive and harmless 
race of beings does not exist on the face of the earth ; 
but, wherever they attempted to procure a subsistence, 
they were hunted down ; driven from the reservations by 
the instinct of self-preservation ; shot down by the set- 
tlers upon the most frivolous pretexts ; and abandoned 
to their fate by the only power that could have afforded 
them protection. 

This was the result, in plain terms, of the inefficient 
and discreditable manner in which public affairs were ad- 
ministered by the federal authorities in Washington. It 
was the natural consequence of a corrupt political sys- 
tem, which, for the credit of humanity, it is to be hoped 
will be abandoned in future so far as the Indians are 
concerned. They have no voice in public affairs. So 
long as they are permitted to exist, party discipline is a 
matter of very little moment to them. All they ask is 
the privilege of breathing the air that God gave to us 
all, and living in peace wherever it may be convenient to 
remove them. Their history in California is a melan- 
choly record of neglect and cruelty ; and the part taken 



308 OBSERVATIONS IN OFFICE. 

by public men high in position, in wresting from them 
the very means of subsistence, is one of which any other 
than professional politicians would be ashamed. For the 
Executive Department there is no excuse. There lay 
the power and the remedy ; but a paltry and servile 
spirit, an abject submission to every shifting influence, 
an utter absence of that high moral tone which is the 
characteristic trait of genuine statesmen and patriots, 
have been the distinguishing features of this branch of 
our government for some time past. Disgusted with 
their own handiwork; involved in debt throughout the 
state, after wasting all the money appropriated by Con- 
gress ; the accounts in an inextricable state of confusion ; 
the creditors of the government clamoring to be paid ; 
the " honest yeomanry" turning against the party in pow- 
er ; jwlitical affairs entangled beyond remedy ; it was 
admitted to be a very bad business — not at all such as 
to meet the approval of the administration. The appro- 
priation was cut down to fifty thousand dollars. That 
would do damage enough. Two hundred and fifty thou- 
sand a year, for six or seven years, had inflicted sufficient 
injury upon the poor Indians. Now it was time to let 
them alone' on fifty thousand, or turn them over to the 
state. So the end of it is, that the reservations are prac- 
tically abandoned; the remainder of the Indians are be- 
ing exterminated every day; and the Spanish Mission 
System has signally failed. 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



CHAPTER I. 

When I inform the reader that I have scarcely dipped 
pen in ink for six years save to unravel the mysteries of 
a Treasury voucher ; that I have lived chiefly among In- 
dians, disbursing agents, and officers of the customs ; 
that I now sit writing in the attic of a German villa 
more than eight thousand miles .from the scene of my 
adventures, without note or memorandum of any kind 
to refresh my memory, he will be prepared to make rea- 
sonable allowance for such a loose, rambling, and dis- 
jointed narrative as an ex-inspector general can be ex- 
pected to write under such adverse circumstances. If 
there be inconveniences in being hanged, as the gentle 
Elia has attempted to prove, so likewise are thei - e incon- 
veniences in being decapitated ; for surely a man de- 
prived of the casket which nature has given him as a re- 
ceptacle for his brains is no better off than one with a 
broken neck. But it is not my present purpose to enter 
into an analysis of this portion of my experience ; nor 
do I make these references to official life by way of ex- 
cuse for any rustiness of intellect that may be percepti- 
ble in my narrative, but rather in mitigation of those un- 
conscious violations of truth and marvelous flights of 
fancy which may naturally result from long experience 
in government affairs. 

Ever since 1849, when I first trod the shores of Cali- 
fornia, the citizens of that Land of Promise have been 
subject to periodical excitements, the extent and variety 
of which can find no parallel in any other state of the 



310 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

Union. To enumerate these in chronological detail 
would be a difficult task, nor is it necessary to my pur- 
pose. The destruction of towns by flood and fire; the 
uprisings and dowufallings of vigilance committees; the 
breaking of banking-houses and pecuniary ruin of thou- 
sands ; the political wars, senatorial tournaments, duels, 
and personal affrays ; the prison and bulkhead schemes ; 
the extraordinary ovations to the living and the dead, 
and innumerable other excitements, have been too fre- 
quently detailed, and have elicited too much comment 
from the Atlantic press not to be still in the memory of 
the public. 

But, numerous as these agitations have been, and prej- 
udicial as some of them must long continue to be to the 
reputation of the state, they can bear no comparison in 
point of extent and general interest to the mining excite- 
ments which from time to time have convulsed the Avhole 
Pacific coast, from Puget's Sound to San Diego. In 
these there can be no occasion for party animosity ; they 
are confined to no political or sectional clique ; all the 
industrial classes are interested, and in a maimer, too, af- 
fecting, either directly or incidentally, their very means 
of subsistence. The country abounds in mineral wealth, 
and the merchant, the banker, the shipper, the mechanic, 
the laborer, are all, to some extent, dependent upon its 
development. Even the gentleman of elegant leisure, 
vulgarly known as the "Bummer" — and there are many 
in California — is occasionally driven by visions of cock- 
tail and cigar-money to doff his "stove-pipe," and ex- 
change his gold-mounted cane for a pick or a shovel. 
The axiom has been well established by an eminent En- 
glish writer that " every man wants a thousand pounds." 
It seems, indeed, to be a chronic and constitutional want, 
as well in California as in less favored countries. 

Few of the early residents of the state can have for- 
gotten the Gold Bluff excitement of '52, when, by all ac- 
counts, old Ocean himself turned miner, and washed up 
cartloads of gold on the beach above Trinidad. It was 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



311 



.L.5. 




THE EUM-MEK. 



represented, and generally believed, that any enterpris- 
ing man could take his hat and a wheelbarrow, and in 
half an hour gather up gold enough to last him for life. 
I have reason to suspect that, of the thousands who went 
there, many will long remember their experience with 
emotions, if pleasant, " yet mournful to the soul." 

The Kern River excitement threatened for a time to 
depopulate the northern portion of the state. The stages 



312 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



from Marysville and Sacramento were crowded day after 
day, and new lines were established from Los Angeles, 




GOING TO KEEN KIVEB. 



Stockton, San Jose, and various other points; but such 
was the pressure of travel in search of this grand depos- 
itory, in which it was represented the main wealth of the 
world had been treasured by a beneficent Providence, 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



313 



that thousands were compelled to go on foot, and carry 
their blankets and provisions on their backs. From 
Stockton to the mining district, a distance of more than 
three hundred miles, the plains of the San Joaquin wei'e 
literally speckled with "honest miners." It is a notable 




EETUENING FROM IiEBN BIVEE. 



fact, that of those who went in stages, the majority re- 
turned on foot ; and of those who trusted originally to 

O 



314 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

shoe-leather, many had to walk back on their natural 
soles, or depend on sackcloth or charity. 

After the Kern River Exchequer had been exhausted, 
the puhlio were congratulated by the press throughout 
the state upon the effectual check now put upon these 
ruinous and exti'avagaut excitements. The enterprising- 
miners Avho had been tempted to abandon good claims 
in search of better had undergone a species of purging 
which would allay any irritation of the mucous mem- 
brane for some time. What they had lost in money 
they had gained in experience. They would henceforth 
turn a deaf ear to interested representations, and not be 
dazzled by visions of sudden wealth conjured up by 
monte-dealers, travelers, and horse-jockeys. They were, 
on the whole, wiser if not happier men. Nor would the 
lesson be lost to the merchants and capitalists who had 
scattered their goods and their funds over the pictur- 
esque heights of the Sierra Nevada. And even the gen- 
tlemen of elegant leisure, who had gone off so suddenly 
in search of small change for liquors and cigars, could 
now recuperate their exhausted energies at the free 
lunch establishments of San Francisco, or, if too far gone 
in seed for that, they could regenerate their muscular 
system by some wholesome exercise in the old diggings, 
where there was not so much gold pe'rhajis as at Kern 
River, but where it could be got at more easily. 

Scarcely had the reverberation caused by the bursting 
of the Kern River bubble died away, and fortune again 
smiled upon the ruined multitudes, when a faint cry was 
heard from afar — first low and uncertain, like a mysteri- 
ous whisper, then full and sonorous, like the boom of 
glad tidings from the mouth of a cannon, the inspiring 
cry of Frazek River! Here was gold sure enough! a 
river of gold ! a country that dazzled the eyes with its 
glitter of gold ! There was no deception about it this 
time. New Caledonia was the land of Ophir. True, it 
was in the British possessions, but what of that ? The 
people of California would develop the British posses- 




UO I I'OU FBAZEE EIVEE. 



316 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

sions. Had our claim to 54° 40' been insisted upon, 
this immense treasure would now have been within our 
own boundaries; but no matter — it was ours by right 
of proximity. The problem of Solomon's Temple was 
now solved. Travelers, from Marco Polo down to the 
present era, who had attempted to find the true land of 
Ophir, had signally failed ; but here it was, the exact lo- 
cality, beyond peradventure. For where else in the 
world could the river-beds, creeks, and canons be lined 
with gold ? Where else could the honest miner " pan 
out" $100 per day every day in the year? But if any 
who had been rendered incredulous by former excite- 
ments still doubted, they could no longer discredit the 
statements that were brought down by every steamer, 
accompanied by positive and palpable specimens of the 
ore, and by the assurances of captains, pursers, mates, 
cooks, and waiters, that Frazer River was the country. 
To be sure, it was afterward hinted that the best part 
of the gold brought down from Frazer had made the 
round voyage from San Francisco ; but I consider this 
a gross and imwarranted imputation upon the integrity 
of steam-boat owners, captains, and speculators. Did not 
the famous Commodore Wright take the matter in hand ; 
put his best steamers on the route; hoist his banners 
and placards in every direction, and give every man a 
chance of testing the question in person? This was es- 
tablishing the existence of immense mineral wealth in 
that region upon a firm and practical basis. No man of 
judgment and experience, like the commodore, would 
undertake to run his steamers on " the baseless fabric of 
a vision." The cheapness and variety of his rates afford- 
ed every man an opportunity of making a fortune. For 
thirty, twenty, and even fifteen dollars, the ambitious as- 
pirant for Frazer could be landed at Victoria. 

I will not now undertake to give a detail of that mem- 
orable excitement; how the stages, north, south, east, 
and, I had almost said, west, were crowded day and 
night with scores upon scores of sturdy adventurers; 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 317 

how farms were abandoned and crops lost for want of 
hands to work them; how rich claims in the old dig- 
gings were given away for a song ; how the wharves of 
San Francisco groaned under the pressure of the human 
freight delivered upon them on every arrival of the Sac- 
ramento and Stockton boats ; how it was often impracti- 
cable to get through the streets in that vicinity owing 
to the crowds gathered around the "runners," who cried 
aloud the merits and demerits of the rival steamers ; and, 
strangest of all, how the head and front of the Frazerites 
were the very men who had enjoyed such pleasant ex- 
perience at Gold Bluff, Kern River, and other places 
famous in the history of California. No sensible man 
could doubt the richness of Frazer River when these vet- 
erans became leaders, and called upon the masses to fol- 
low. They were not a class of men likely to be deceived 
— they knew the signs of the times. And, in addition 
to all this, who could resist the judgment and experience 
of Commodore Wright, a man who had made an inde- 
pendent fortune in the steam-boat business ? Who could 
be deaf when assayers, bankers, jobbers, and speculators 
cried aloud that it was all true ? 

Well, I am not going to moralize. Mr. Nugent was 
appointed a commissioner, on the part of the United 
States, to settle the various difficulties which had grown 
up between the miners and Governor Douglass. He ar- 
rived at Victoria in time to perform signal service to his 
fellow-citizens ; that is to say, he found many of them in 
a state of starvation, and sent them back to California at 
public expense. ) Frazer River, always too high for min- 
ing purposes, could not be prevailed upon to subside. 
Its banks were not banks of issue, nor were its beds 
stuffed with the feathers of the Golden Goose. Had it 
not been for this turn of affairs, it is difficult to say what 
would have been the result. The British Lion had been 
slumbering undisturbed at Victoria for half a century, 
and was very much astonished, upon waking up, to find 
thirty thousand semi -barbarous Californians scattered 



318 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

broadcast over the British possessions. Governor Doug- 
lass issued manifestoes in vain. He evidently thought it 
no joke. The subject eventually became a matter of 
diplomatic correspondence, in which much ink was shed, 
but fortunately no blood, although the subsequent seiz- 
ure of San Juan by General Harney came very near pro- 
ducing that result. 




KETIRNED FROM FRAZER RTVEli. 



The steamers, in due course of time, began to return 
crowded with enterprising miners, who still believed there 
was gold there if the river would only fall. But gener- 
osity dictates that I should say no more on this point. 
It is enough to add, that the time arrived when it be- 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 319 

came a matter of personal offense to ask any spirited gen- 
tleman if be had been to Frazcr River. 

There was now, of course, an end to all mining excite- 
ments. It could never again happen that such an impo- 
sition could be practiced upon public credulity. In the 
whole state there was not another sheep that could be 
gulled by the cry of wolf. Business would now resume 
its steady and legitimate course. Property would cense 
to fluctuate in value. Every branch of industry would 
become fixed upon a permanent and reliable basis. All 
these excitements were the. natural results of the daring 
and enterprising character of the people. But now, hav- 
ing worked oft' their superabundant steam, they would 
be prepared to go ahead systematically, and develop 
those resources which they had hitherto neglected. It 
was a course of medical effervescence highly beneficial 
to the body politic. All morbid appetite for sudden 
wealth was now gone forever. 

But softly, good friends ! What rumor is this ? 
Whence come these silvery strains that are wafted to 
our ears from the passes of the Sierra Nevada? What 
dulcet iEolian harmonies — what divine, enchanting rav- 
ishment is it 

"That with these raptures moves the vocal air?" 

As I live, it is a cry of Silver ! Silver in Washoe ! Not 
gold now, you silly men of Gold Bluff; you Kern River- 
ites; you daring explorers of British Columbia! But 
Silver — solid, pure Silver! Beds of it ten thousand 
feet deep ! Acres of it ! miles of it ! hundreds of mil- 
lions of dollars poking their backs up out of the earth 
ready to be pocketed ! 

Do you speak of the mines of Potosi or Golconda ?" 
Do you dare to quote the learned Baron Von Tschudi 
on South America and Mexico ? Do you refer me to 
the ransom of Atahualpa, the unfortunate Inca, in the 
days of Pizarro ? Nothing at all, I assure you, to the 
silver mines of Washoe ! " Sir," said my informant to 



320 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

me, in strict confidence, no later than this morning, " you 
may rely upon it, for I am personally acquainted with a 
brother of the gentleman whose most intimate friend 
saw the man whose partner has just come over the 
mountains, and he says there never was the like on the 
face of the earth ! The ledges are ten thousand feet 
deep — solid masses of silver. Let us be off! Now is 
the time ! A pack-mule, pick and shovel, hammer and 
frying-pan will do. You need nothing more. Hurrah 
for Washoe !" 

Kind and sympathizing reader, imagine a man who 
for six years had faithfully served his government and 
his country ; who had never, if he knew himself inti- 
mately, embezzled a dollar of the public funds ; who had 
resisted the seductive influences of Gold Bluff, Kern, and 
Frazer Rivers from the purest motives of patriotism ; 
who scorned to abandon his post in search of filthy lucre 
— imagine such a personage cut short in his official ca- 
reer, and suddenly bereft of his per diem by a formal 
and sarcastic note of three lines from head-quarters; 
then fancy you hear him jingle the last of his federal 
emoluments in his pocket, and sigh at the ingratitude 
of republics. Would you not consider him open to 
any proposition short of murder or highway robbery? 
Would you be surprised if he accepted an invitation 
from Mr. Wise, the aeronaut, to take a voyage in a bal- 
loon ? or the berth of assistant manager in a diving-bell? 
or joined the first expedition in search of the treasure 
buried by the Spanish galleon on her voyage to Acapul- 
co in 1578? Then consider his position, as he stands 
musing upon the mutability of human affairs, when 
those strange and inspiring cries of Washoe fall upon 
his ears for the first time, with a realizing sense of their 
import. Borne on the wings of the wind from the Sierra 
Nevada; wafted through every street, lane, and alley of 
San Francisco ; whirling around the drinking saloons, 
eddying over the counters of the banking offices, scatter- 
ing up the dust among the Front Street merchants, 






t^=L 



I 




I1DRKAU FOB WASHOEl 

O 2 



322 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

arousing the slumbering inmates of the Custom-house — 
what man of enterprise could resist it?' Washoe ! The 
Comstock lead ! The Ophir ! The Central— The Billy 
Choller Companies, and a thousand others, indicating in 
trumpet -tones the high road to fortune! From the 
crack of day to the shades of night nothing is heard but 
Washoe. The steady men of San Francisco are aroused, 
the men of Front Street, the gunny-bag men, the brokers, 
the gamblers, the butchers, the bakers, the whisky-deal- 
ers, the lawyers, and all. The exception was to find a 
sane man in the entire city. 

No wonder the abstracted personage already referred 
to was aroused from his gloomy reflections. A friend 
appealed to him to go to Washoe. The friend was in- 
terested there, but could not go himself. It Avas a mat- 
ter of incalculable importance. Millions were involved 
in it. He (the friend) would pay expenses. The busi- 
ness would not occupy a week, and would not interfere 
with any other business. 



CHAPTER II. 

START FOR WASHOE. 

Next day an advertisement appeared in the city pa- 
pers respectfully inviting the public to commit their 
claims and investments to the hands of their fellow-citi- 
zen, Mr. Yusef Badra, whose long experience in govern- 
ment affairs eminently qualified him to undertake the 
task of geological research. He was especially prepared 
to determine the exact amount of silver contained in 
fossils. It would afford him pleasure to be of service to 
his friends and fellow-citizens. The public would be 
so kind as to address Mr. Badra, at Carson City, Terri- 
tory of Utah. 

This looked like business on an extensive scale. It 
read like business of a scientific character. It was a card 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



323 



drawn up with skill, and calculated to attract attention. 
I am proud to acknowledge that I am the author, and, 
furthermore (if you will consider the information confi- 
dential), that I am the identical agent referred to. 




Many good friends shook their heads when I an- 
nounced my intention of visiting Washoe, and, although 
they designed going themselves as soon as the snow was 
melted from the mountains, they could not understand 
how a person who had so long retained his faculties un- 
impaired could give up a lucrative government office 
and engage in such a wild-goose chase as that. Little 
did they know of the brief hut irritating document 
which I carried in my pocket, and for which I am de- 



324 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

termined some day or other to write a satire against 
our system of government. I bade them a kindly fare- 
well, and on a fine evening, toward the latter part of 
March, took my departure for Sacramento, there to take 
the stage for Placerville, and from that point as fortune 
might direct. 

My stock in trade consisted of two pair of blankets, a 
spare shirt, a plug of tobacco, a note-book, and a paint- 
box. On my arrival in Placerville I found the whole 
town in commotion. There was not an animal to be had 
at any of the stables without applying three days in ad- 
vance. The stage for Strawberry had made its last trip 
in consequence of the bad condition of the road. Every 
hotel and restaurant was full to overflowing. The streets 
were blocked up with crowds of adventurers all bound 
for Washoe. The gambling and drinking saloons were 
crammed to suffocation with customers practicing for 
Washoe. The clothing stores were covered with pla- 
cards offering to sell goods at ruinous sacrifices to Wash- 
oe miners. The forwarding houses and express oflices 
were overflowing with goods and packages marked for 
Washoe. The grocery stores were making up boxes, 
bags, and bundles of groceries for the Washoe trade. 
The stables were constantly starting off passenger and 
pack trains for Washoe. Mexican vaqueros were driv- 
ing headstrong mules through the streets on the road to 
Washoe. The newspapers were full of Washoe. In 
short, there was nothing but Washoe to be seen, heard, 
or thought of. Every arrival from the mountains con- 
firmed the glad tidings that enormous quantities of sil- 
ver were being discovered daily in Washoe. Any man 
who wanted a fortune needed only to go over there and 
pick it up. There was Jack Smith, who made ten thou- 
sand dollars the other day at a single trade; and Tom 
Jenkins, twenty thousand by right of discovery; and 
Bill Brown, forty thousand in the tavern business, and 
so on. Every body was getting rich "hand over fist." 
It was the place for fortunes. No man could go amiss. 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 325 

I was in search of just such a place. It suited me to 
find a fortune ready made. Like Professor Agassiz, I 
could not afford to make money, but it would be no in- 
convenience to draw a check on the great Washoe de- 
pository for fifty thousand dollars or so, and proceed on 
my travels. I would visit Japan, ascend the Amoor 
River, traverse Tartary, spend a few weeks in Siberia, 
rest a day or so at St. Petersburg, cross through Russia 
to the Black Sea, visit Persia, Nineveh, and Bagdad, and 
wind up somewhere in Italy. I even began to look 
about the bar-rooms for a map in order to lay out the 
route more definitely, but the only map to be seen was 
De Groot's outline of the route from Placerville to Wash- 
oe. I went to bed rather tired after the excitement of 
tho day, and somewhat surfeited with Washoe. Pres- 
ently I heard a tap at the door; a head was popped 
through the opening : 

" I say, Cap !" 

" Well, what do you say ?" 

"Are you the man that can't get a animal for Wash- 
oe ?" 

" Yes ; have you got one to sell or hire ?" 

"No, I hain't got one myself, but me and my pardncr 
is going to walk there, and if you like you can jine our 
party." 

" Thank you ; I have a friend who is going with me, 
but I shall be very glad to have more company." 

"All right, Cap; good-night." 

The door was closed, but presently opened again : 

" I say, Cap !" 

" What now ?" 

" Do you believe in Washoe ?" 

" Of course ; why not ?" 

" Well, I suppose it's all right. Good-night ; I'm in." 
And my new friend left me to my slumbers. 

But who could slumber in such a bedlam, where 
scores and hundreds of crack-brained people kept rush- 
ing tip and down the passage all night, in and out of 



326 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



every room, banging the doors after them, calling for 
boots, carpet sacks, cards, cocktails, and toddies ; while 




"I SAY, CAP!" 

amid the ceaseless din arose ever and anon that potent 
cry of " Washoe !" which had unsettled every brain. I 
turned over and over for the fiftieth time, and at length 
fell into an uneasy doze. A mountain seemed to rise be- 
fore me. Millions of rats with human faces were climb- 
ing up its sides, some burrowing into holes, some rolling 
down into bottomless pits, but all labeled Washoe. 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



32? 



Soon the mountain began to shake its sides with sup- 
pressed laughter, and out of a volcano on the top burst 
sheets of flame, through which jumped ten thousand 
grotesque figures in the shape of dollars with spider 
legs, shrieking with all their might, " Washoe ! ho ! ho ! 
Washoe! ho! ho!" 




Surely the sounds were wonderfully real. Tap, tap, 
at the door. 

" I say, Cap !" 

"Well, what is it?" 

" 'Bout time to get up, if you calklate to make Pete's 
ranch to-night." 

So I got up, and, after a cup of coffee, took a ramble 
on the heights, where I was amply compensated for my 
loss of rest by the richness and beauty of the sunrise. 
It was still early spring; the hills were covered with 
verdure ; flowers bloomed in all directions ; pleasant lit- 
tle cottages, scattered here and there, gave a civilized 
aspect to the scene ; and when I looked over the busy 
town, and heard the lively rattle of stages, wagons, and 
buggies, and saw the long pack-trains winding their way 
up the mountains, I felt proud of California and her peo- 
ple. There is not a prettier little town in the state than 
Placerville, and certainly not a better class of people any 
where than her thriving inhabitants. They seemed, in- 
deed, to be so well satisfied with their own mining pros- 
pects that they were the least excited of the crowd on 
the subject of the new discoveries. The impulse given 
to business in the town, however, was well calculated to 
afford them satisfaction. This was the last depot of 



328 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

trade on the way to Washoe, f My excellent friend Dan 
Gelwicks, of the Mountain Democrat, assured me that 
he was perfectly satisfied to spend the remainder of his 
days in Placerville. Who that has ever visited the 
mountains, or attended a political convention in Sacra- 
mento, does not know- the immortal " Dan" — the truest, 
best-hearted, handsomest fellow in existence ; the very 
cream and essence of a country editor ; who dresses as 
he j)leases, chews tobacco when he pleases, writes tre- 
mendous political philippics, knows every body, trusts 
every body, sets up his own editorials, and on occasions 
stands ready to do the job and press work! I am in- 
debted to " Dan" for the free use of his sanctum ; and 
in consideration of his kindness and hospitality, do here- 
by transfer to him all my right, title, and interest in the 
Roaring Jack Claim, Wild-Cat Ledge, Devil's Gate, 
which by this time must be worth ten thousand dollars 
a foot. ") 

Before we were quite ready to start our party had in- 
creased to five ; but as each had to purchase a knife, tin 
cup, pound of cheese, or some other article of luxury, it 
was ten o'clock before we got fairly under way. And 
here I must say that, although our appearance as we 
passed along the main street of Placerville elicited no 
higher token of admiration than "Go it, Washoe!" such 
a party, habited and accoutred as we were, would have 
made a profound sensation in Hyde Park, London, or 
even on Broadway, New York. 

The road was in good condition, barring a little mud 
in the neighborhood of " Hangtown ;" and the day was 
exceedingly bright and pleasant. As I ascended the 
first considerable elevation in the succession of heights 
which extend all the way for a distance of fifty miles to 
the summit of the Sierra Nevada, and cast a look back 
over the foot-hills, a more glorious scene of gigantic for- 
ests, open valleys, and winding streams seldom greeted 
my vision. The air was singularly pure and bracing; 
every draught of it was equal to a glass of sparkling 



330 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

Cha^fcagne. At intervals, varying from fifty yards to 
half a mile, streams of water of crystal clearness and icy 
coolness burst from the mountain sides, making a pleas- 
ant music as they crossed the road. Whether the day 
was uncommonly warm, or the exercise rather heating, 
or the packs very heavy, it was beyond doubt some of 
the party were afflicted with a chronic thirst, for they 
stopped to drink at every spring and rivulet on the way, 
giving rise to a suspicion in my mind that they had not 
been much accustomed to that wholesome beverage of 
late. This suspicion was strengthened by a mysterious 
circumstance. I had lagged behind at a turn of the 
road to adjust my pack, when I was approached by the 
unique personage whose head in the doorway had start- 
led me the night before. 

" I say, Cap !" At the same time pulling from the 
folds of his blanket a dangerous-looking " pocket pistol," 
he put the muzzle to his mouth, and discharged the main 
portion of the contents down his throat. 

" What d'ye say, Cap ?" 

Now I claim to be under no legal obligation to state 
what I said or did on that occasion ; but this much I am 
willing to avow, that upon resuming our journey there 
was a glorious sense of freedom and independence in our 
adventurous mode of life. The fresh air, odorous with 
the scent of pine forests and Avild flowers ; the craggy 
rocks overhung with the grape and the morning-glory ; 
the merry shouts of the Mexican vaqucros, mingled with 
the wild dashing of the river down the canon on our 
right ; the free exercise of every muscle ; the conscious- 
ness of exemption from all farther restraints of office, 
were absolutely inspiring. I think a lyrical poem would 
not have exceeded my powers on that occasion. Every 
faculty seemed invigorated to the highest pitch of per- 
fection. Hang the dignity of office ! A murrain upon 
party politicians and inspector generals ! To the bot- 
tomless pit with all vouchers, abstracts, and accounts 
current ! I scorn that meagre and brainless style of the 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



331 




THE I'OCKET PISTOL. 



beads of the Executive Departments, " Sir, — Your serv- 
ices are no longer — " What dunce could not write a 
more copious letter than that? Who would be a slave 
when all nature calls upon him in trumpet tones to be 
free ? Who would sell his birthright for a mess of pot- 
tage when he could lead the life of an honest miner 
— earn his bread by the sweat of his brow — breathe the 



332 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

fresh air of heaven without stint or limit? And of all 
miners in the world, who would not be a Washoe min- 
er ? Beyond question, this was a condition of mind to 
be envied and admired ; and, notwithstanding the two 
pair of heavy blankets on my back, and a stiff pair of 
boots on my feet that galled my ankles most grievously, 
I really felt lighter and brighter than for years past. 
Nor did it seem surprising to me then that so many 
restless men should abandon the haunts of civilization, 
and seek variety and freedom in the wilderness of rug- 
ged mountains comprising the mining districts of the 
Sierra Nevada. The life of the miner is one of labor, 
peril, and exposure ; but it possesses the fascinating ele- 
ment of liberty, and the promise of unlimited reward. 
In the midst of privations, amounting, at times, to the 
verge of starvation, what glowing visions fill the mind 
of the toiling adventurer ! Richer in anticipation than 
the richest of his fellow-beings, he builds golden palaces, 
and scatters them over the world with a princely hand. 
He may not be a man of imagination ; but in the secret 
depths of his soul there is a latent hope that some day 
or other he will strike a "lead," and who knows but it 
may be a solid mountain of gold, spangled with dia- 
monds ? 

The road from Placerville to Strawberry Flat is for 
the most part graded, and no doubt is a very good road 
in summer; but it would be a violation of conscience to 
recommend it in the month of April. The melting of 
the accumulated snows of the past winter had partially 
washed it away, and what remained was deeply furrowed 
by the innumerable streams that sought an outlet in the 
ravines. In many places it seemed absolutely impracti- 
cable for wheeled vehicles ; but it is an article of faith 
with California teamsters that wherever a horse can go 
a wagon can follow. There were some exceptions to 
this rule, however, for the road was literally lined with 
broken-clown stages, wagons, and carts, presenting every 
variety of aspect, from the general smash-up to the ordi- 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



333 







riary capsize. Wheels had taken rectangular cuts to the 
bottom ; broken tongues projected from the mud ; loads 
of dry-goods and whisky-barrels lay wallowing in the 
general wreck of matter ; stout beams cut from the road- 
side were scattered here and there, having served in 
vain efforts to extricate the wagons from the oozy mire. 
Occasionally these patches of bad road extended for 
miles, and here the scenes were stirring in the highest 
des^e. Whole trains of pack-mules struggled frantic- 
ally to make the transit from one dry point to another ; 
" burros," heavily laden, were frequently buried up to 



334 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

the neck, and had to be hauled out by main force. Now 
and then an enterprising mule would emerge from the 
mud, and, by attempting to keep the edge of the road, 
lose his foothold, and go rolling to the bottom of the 
canon, pack and all. Amid the confusion worse con- 
founded, the cries and maledictions of the vaqueros were 
perfectly overwhelming ; but when the mules stuck fast 
in the mud, and it became necessary to unpack them, 
then it was that the vaqueros shone out most luminous- 
ly. They shouted, swore, beat the mules, kicked them, 
pulled them, pushed them, swore again ; and when all 
these resources failed, tore their hair, and resorted to 
prayer and meditation. (Opposite is a faint attempt at 
the vaquero sliding-scale.) 

It will doubtless be a consolation to some of these uj# 
happy vaqueros to know that such of their mules as they 
failed to extricate from the mud during the winter may, 
during the approaching summer, find their way out 
through the cracks. Should any future traveler be over- 
taken by thirst, and see a pair of ears growing out of 
the road, he will be safe in digging there, for underneath 
stands a mule, and on the back of that mule is a barrel 
of whisky. 




WUISKV UELOVV. 



336 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

Owing to repeated stoppages on the way, night over- 
took us at a place called "Dirty Mike's." Here we 
found a ruinously dilapidated frame shanty, the bai", of 
course, being the main feature. Next to the bar was 
the public bedroom, in which there was every accommo- 
dation except beds, bedding, chairs, tables, and wash- 
stands ; that is to say, there was a piece of looking-glass 
nailed against the window-frame, and the general comb 
and tooth-brush hanging by strings from a neighboring 
post. 

A very good supper of pork and beans, fried potatoes, 
and coffee, was served up for us on very dirty plates, by 
Mike's cook ; and after doing it ample justice, we turned 
in on our blankets and slept soundly till morning. It 
was much in favor of our landlord that he charged us 
only double the customary price. I would cheerfully 
give him a recommendation if he would only wash his 
face and his plates once or twice a week. 

The ascent of the mountains is gradual and continu- 
ous the entire distance to Strawberry. After the first 
day's journey there is but little variety in the scenery. 
On the right, a fork of the American River plunges down 
through a winding canon, its force and volume augment- 
ed at short intervals by numerous smaller streams that 
cross the road, and by others from the opposite side. 
Thick forests of pine loom up on each side, their tops 
obscuring the sky. A few patches of snow lay along 
our route on the first day, but on the second snow was 
visible on both sides of the canon. 

The succession of scenes along the road afforded us 
constant entertainment. In every gulch and ravine a 
tavern was in process of erection. Scarcely a foot of 
ground upon which man or beast could find a foothold 
was exempt from a claim. There were even bars with 
liquors, offering a tempting place of refreshment to the 
weary traveler where no vestige of a house was yet per- 
ceptible. Board and lodging signs over tents not more 
than ten feet square were as common as blackberries in 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



337 




JJOAlil) AMI lAJDbLMi. 



June ; and on no part of the road was there the least 
chance of suffering from the want of whisky, dry-goods, 
or cigars. 

An almost continuous string of Washoeites stretched 
" like a great snake dragging its slow length along" as far 
as the eye could reach. In the course of this clay's tramp 
we passed parties of every description and color : Irish- 



■J3S A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

men, wheeling their blankets, provisions, and mining im- 
plements on wheel-barrows ; American, French, and 
German foot-passengers, leading heavily-laden horses, 
or carrying their packs on their backs, and their picks 
and shovels slung across their shoulders ; Mexicans, 
driving long trains of pack-mules, and swearing fearful- 
ly, as usual, to keep them in order ; dapper-looking gen- 
tlemen, apparently from San Francisco, mounted on fan- 
cy horses ; women, in men's clothes, mounted on mules 
or "burros;" Pike County 'specimens, seated on piles of 
furniture and goods in great lumbering wagons ; whisky- 
peddlers, with their bar-fixtures and whisky on mule- 
back, stopping now and then to quench the thirst of the 
toiling multitude ; organ-grinders, carrying their organs ; 
drovers, riding, raving, and tearing away frantically 
through the brush after droves of self-willed cattle de- 
signed for the shambles; in short, every imaginable 
class, and every possible species of industry, was repre- 
sented in this moving pageant. It was a striking and 
impressive spectacle to see, in full competition with 
youth and strength, the most pitiable specimens of age 
and decay — white-haired old men, gasping for breath as 
they dragged their palsied limbs after them in the excit- 
ing race of avarice; cripples and hunchbacks; even sick 
men from their beds — all stark mad for silver. 

But the tide was not setting entirely in the direction 
of Carson Valley. A counter-current opposed our prog- 
ress in the shape of saddle-trains without riders, long 
lines of pack-mules laden with silver ore, scattering par- 
ties of weather-beaten and foot-sore pedestrians, bearing 
their hard experience in their faces, arid solitary strag- 
glers, of all ages and degrees, mounted on skeleton 
horses, or toiling wearily homeward on foot — some mer- 
ry, some sad, some eagerly intent on farther speculation, 
but all bearing the unmistakable impress of Washoe. 

Among the latter, a lank, leathery-looking fellow, 
doubtless from the land of wooden nutmegs, w T as sham- 
bling along through the mud, talking to himself appar- 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



339 



ently for want of more congenial fellowship. I was 
about to pass him, when he arrested my attention : 

" Look here, stranger !" 

I looked. 

" You're bound for Washoe, I reckon ?" 

I was bound for Washoe. 

" What line of business' be you goin' into there?" 

Was not quite certain, but thought it would be the 
agency line. 



->. 




GRUN1JBTOM.S. 



3-10 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

"Ho! the agency liiie — stage-agent, maybe? Burche's 
line, I guess ?" 

That was not it exactly ; but no matter. Perhaps I 
could do something for him in Washoe. 

" Nothing, stranger, except to keep dark. Do you 
know the price of grindstones in Placerville?" 

I didn't know the price of grindstones in Placerville, 
but supposed they might be cheap, as there were plenty 
there. 

"That's my hand exactly!" said my friend, with an 
inward chuckle of satisfaction. I expressed some curios- 
ity to know in what respect the matter of grindstones 
suited his hand so well, when, looking cautiously around, 
he drew near, and informed me confidentially that he 
had struck a "good thing" in Washoe. He had only 
been there a month, and had made a considerable pile. 
There was a dreadful scarcity of grindstones there, and, 
seeing that miners, carpenters, and mechanics of all sorts 
were hard up for something to sharpen their' tools on, he 
had secured the only grindstone that could be had, which 
was pretty well used up when he got it. But he rigged 
it up ship-shape and Bristol fashion, and set up a grind- 
ing business, which brought him in from twenty to thir- 
ty dollars a day, till nothing was left of the stone. Now 
he was bound to Placerville in search of a good one, 
with which he intended to return immediately. I wished 
him luck and proceeded on my way, wondering what 
would turn up next. 

It was not long before I was stopped by another en- 
terprising personage ; but this was altogether a different 
style of man. There was something brisk and spruce in 
his appearance, in spite of a shirt far gone in rags and a 
shock of hair that had long been a stranger to the scis- 
sors. What region of country he came from it was im- 
possible to say. I think he was a cosmopolite, and be- 
longed to the world generally. 

" Say, Colonel !" — this was his style of address — " on 
the way to Washoe ?" 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



311 




A SPECULATOR. 



- Yes." 

"Excuse me: I have a little list of claims here, 
Colonel, which I would like to show you ;" and he pulled 
from his shirt-pocket a greasy package of papers, which 
he dexterously unfolded. " Guess you're from San Fran- 
cisco, Colonel ? Here is — let me see — 
200 feet in the Pine Nut, 
300 feet in the Grizzly Ledge, 



342 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

150 feet in the Gouge Eye, 

125 feet in the Wild-Cat, 

100 feet in the Root-Hog-or-Die, 

50 feet in the Bobtail Horse, 

25 feet in the Hell Roaring ; 

and many others, Colonel, in the best leads. Now the 
fact is, d'ye see, I'm a little hard up, and want to make 
a raise. I'll sell all, or a part, at a considerable sacrifice 
for a small amount of ready cash." 

" How much do you want ?" 

" Why, if I could raise twenty dollars or so, it would 
answer my present purpose ; I'll sell you twenty feet in 
any of these claims for that amount. Every foot of them 
is worth a thousand dollars ; but, d'ye see, they're not 
yet developed." 

Circumstances forced me to decline this offer, much to 
the disgust of the enterprising speculator in claims, who 
assured me I might go farther and fare worse ; but some- 
how the names did not strike me as attractive in a min- 
eral point of view. 

I had by this time lost the run of all my comrades, and 
was obliged to pursue my journey alone. Three had 
gone ahead, and the other was nearly used up. The day 
had opened fairly, but now there were indications of bad 
weather. It was quite dark when I reached a small 
shanty about four miles from Strawberry. Here I halt- 
ed till my remaining comrade came up. The proprietor 
of the shanty was going into the tavern business, and 
was engaged in building a large clapboard house. His 
men were all at supper, and in reply to our application 
for lodgings, he told us we might sleep in the calf-pen if 
we liked, but there was no room in the house. He 
could give us something to eat after his workmen were 
done supper, but not before. He had brandy and gin, 
but no tea to spare. On the whole, he thought we had 
better go on to Strawberry. 

Now this was encouraging. It was already pattering 
down rain, and the calf-pen to which he directed us was 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 343 

knee-deep in mud and manure, Avithout roof or shelter of 
any kind. Even the unfortunate progeny of the old coav, 
which ran hellowing around the fence, in motherly solic- 
itude for her offspring, shiA T ered with cold, and made 
piteous appeals to this hard-hearted man. I finally 
hrihed him, hy means of a gold dollar, to let us have a 
small piece of bread and a few SAvalloAVS of tea. Thus 
refreshed, AA'e resumed our journey. 

Four miles more of slush and snow, up hill nearly all 
the way, across rickety bridges, over roaring cataracts, 
slippery rocks, stumps, and brush, through acres of black 
oozy mire, and so dark a bat could scarcely recognize 
his own father ! It Avas a walk to be remembered. The 
man in the shanty, if he possess a spark of humanity, will, 
I trust, feel bitterly mortified when he reads this article. 
He caused me some gloomy reflections upon human na- 
ture, which have been a constant source of repentance 
ever since. But consider the proA'ocation. The rain 
poured down heavily, mingled with a cutting sleet ; a 
doleful wind came moaning through the pines ; our 
blankets were Avet through, and not a stitch upon our 
backs left dry ; even my spare shirt Avas soaking the 
strength out of the plug of tobacco so carefully stOAved 
away in its folds, and my paints Avere giving it Avhat aid 
they could in the Avay of celor. 

Well, there is an end to all misery upon earth, and so 
there Avas to this day's Avalk. A light at length glim- 
mered through the pines, first faint and flickering, then 
a full blaze, then half a dozen brilliant lights, which 
proved to be camp-fires, under the trees, and soon Ave 
stood in front of a large and substantial log house. This 
Avas the famous " StraAA r berry," known throughout the 
length and breadth of the land as the best stopping-place 
on the route to Washoe, and the last station before cross- 
ing the summit of the Sierra Nevada. The winter road 
for Avheel-vehicles here ended; and, indeed, it may be 
said to have ended some distance below, for the last 
twelve miles of the road seemed utterly impracticable 



;M4 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

for wagons. At least, most of those I saw were fast in 
the mud, and likely to remain there till the beginning of 
summer. Dark and rainy as it was, there were crowds 
scattered around the house, as if they had some secret 
and positive enjoyment in the contemplation of the 
weather. Edging our way through, we found the bar- 
room packed as closely as it could be without bursting 
out some of the walls ; and of all the motley gangs that 
ever happened together within a space of twenty feet, 
this certainly was the most extraordinary and the most 
motley. Dilapidated gentlemen Math slouched hats and 
big boots, Jew peddlers dripping wet, red-shirted min- 
ers, teamsters, vaqueros, packers, and traders, swearing 
horribly at nothing ; some drinking at the bar, some 
warming themselves before a tremendous log fire that 
sent up a reeking steam from the conglomerated mass 
of wet and muddy clothes, to say nothing of the boots 
and socks that lay simmering near the coals. A few 
bare and sore footed outcasts crouched down in the cor- 
ners, trying to catch a nap, and here and there a returned 
Washoeite, describing in graphic language, garnished 
with oaths, the wonders and beauties of Virginia City. 
But chiefly remarkable in the crowd was the regiment 
of light infantry, pressed in double file against the dining- 
room door, awaiting the fourth or fifth charge at the ta- 
ble. 

At the first tinkle of the bell the door was burst open 
with a tremendous crash, and for a moment no battle- 
scene in Waterloo, no charge at Resaca de la Palma or 
the heights of Chapultepec, no Crimean avalanche of 
troops dealing death and destruction around them, could 
have equaled the terrific onslaught of the gallant troops 
of Strawberry. The whole house actually tottered and 
trembled at the concussion, as if shaken by an earth- 
quake. Long before the main body had assaulted the 
table the din of arms was heard above the general up- 
roar ; the deafening clatter of plates, knives, and forks, 
and the dreadful bat tle-crv of "Waiter! waiter! Pork 







UINNLU AT BTRAWBEKRY. 

P2 



346 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

and beans ! Coffee, waiter ! Beefsteak ! Sausages ! Po- 
tatoes ! Ham and eggs — quick, waiter, for God's sake !" 
It was a scene of destruction and carnage long to be re- 
membered. I had never before witnessed a battle, but 
I now understood how men could become maddened by 
the smell of blood. When the table was vacated it pre- 
sented a shocking scene of desolation. Whole dishes 
were swept of their contents ; coffee-pots were dis- 
charged to the dregs ; knives, forks, plates, and spoons 
lay in a confused mass among the bones and mutilated 
remnants of the dead ; chunks of bread and hot biscuit 
were scattered broadcast, and mince-pies were gored 
into fragments ; tea-cups and saucers were capsized ; 
and the waiters, hot, red, and steamy, were panting and 
swearing after their superhuman labors. 

Half ah hour more and the battle-field was again 
cleared for action. This was the sixth assault commit- 
ted during the evening; but it was none the less terri- 
ble on that account. Inspired by hunger, I joined the 
army of invaders this time, and by gigantic efforts of 
strength maintained an honorable position in the ranks. 
As the bell sounded, we broke ! I fixed my eye on a 
chair, rushed through the struggling mass, threw out 
my hands frantically to seize it, but, alas ! it was already 
captured. A dark-visaged man, who looked as if he car- 
ried concealed weapons on his person, was seated in it, 
shouting hoarsely the battle-cry of "Pork and beans! 
Waiter! Coffee, waiter!" Up and down the table it 
was one gulping mass, jaws distended, arms stretched 
out, knives, forks, and even the bare hands plunged into 
the enemy. Not a spot was vacant. I venture to as- 
sert that from the commencement of the assault till the 
capture and complete investment of the fortifications did 
not exceed five seconds. The storming of the Malakoff 
and the fall of Sebastopol could no longer claim a place 
in history. 

At length fortune favored the brave. I got a seat at 
the next onslaught, and took ample satisfaction for the 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 347 

delay by devouring such a meal as none but a hardy 
Washoeite could be expected to digest. Pork and 
beans, cabbage, beef-steak, sausages, pies, tarts, coffee 
and tea, eggs, etc. — these were only a few of the luxu- 
ries furnished by the enterprising proprietor of the 
"Strawberry." May every blessing attend that great 
benefactor of mankind ! I say it in all sincerity ; he is 
a great and good man, a Websterian innkeeper, for he 
thoroughly understands the constitution. I would give 
honorable mention to his name if I knew it; but it mat- 
ters not ; his house so far surpasses the Metropolitan or 
the St. Nicholas that there is no comparison in the relish 
with which the food is devoured. In respect to sleeping 
accommodations there may be some difference in their 
favor. I was too late to secure a bed in the general bed- 
room up stairs, where two hundred and fifty tired way- 
farers were already snoring in double-shotted bunks 
2x6; but the landlord was a man of inexhaustible re- 
sources. A private whisper in his ear made him a friend 
forever. He nodded sagaciously, and led me into a 
small parlor about 15 x20, in which he gave my compa- 
ny of five what he called a " lay-out," that is to say, a 
lay-out on the flooi*, with our own blankets for beds and 
covering. This was a special favor, and I would have 
cherished it in my memory for years had not a suspicion 
been aroused in my mind before the lapse of half an hour 
that there were others in the confidence of mine host. 
Scarcely had I entered upon the first nap when some- 
body undertook to walk upon me, commencing on my 
head and ending on the pit of my stomach. I grasped 
him firmly by the leg. He apologized at once in the 
most abject manner ; and well for him he did, for it Avas 
enough to incense any man to be suddenly roused up in 
that manner. The intruder, I discovered, was a Jew 
peddler. He offered me a cigar, which I smoked in to- 
ken of amity; and in- the mean time he turned in along- 
side and smoked another. ' When daylight broke I cast 
around me to see what every body was doing to create 









lit 11 







A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



349 



such a general commotion. I perceived that there were 
about forty sleepers, all getting up. Boots strongly 
scented with feet, and stockings of every possible degree 
of odor, were lying loose in all directions; blankets, 
packs, old clothes, and ragged shirts, and I don't know 
what all — a palpable violation of the landlord's implied 
compact. True, he had not agreed to furnish a single 
bed for five, but he never hinted that he was going to 
put forty men, of all sorts and sizes, in the same general 
u lay-out," as he was pleased to style it, and that only 




TUJK SsTlM'liINU -THIEF. 



350 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

large enough for half the number. Once, in Minnesota, 
I slept in a bed with eight, and gave considerable offense 
to my landlord when I remonstrated against his putting 
in a ninth. He said he liked to see a man " accommoda- 
ting" — a reflection upon my good-nature which I consid- 
ered wholly unwarranted by the circumstances. But 
this was even a stronger case. 

The Jew peddler had not undressed, and, not to judge 
him harshly, I don't think he ever did undress. He was 
soon up, and left, as I suppose, while I was dressing. 
With him departed my stockings. They were not very 
fine — perhaps, considering the muddy road, not very 
clean ; but they were all I had, and were valuable be- 
yond gold or silver in this foot-weary land. I never 
saw them more. What aggravated the offense, when I 
came to review it seriously, was, that I remembered hav- 
ing seen him draw just such a pair over his boots, as a 
protection against the snow, without the remotest sus- 
picion of the great wrong he was doing me. 

We shall meet this Stocking-thief again. ) 



CHAPTER III. 

ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. 

Upon taking an observation from the front door at 
Strawberry, we were rather startled to find that the 
whole place was covered with snow to the depth of two 
or three feet. The pack trains had given up all hope of 
getting over the mountain. It was snowing hard, and 
the appearance of the weather was dark and threatening. 
To be housed up here with three or four hundred men, 
and the additional numbers that might be expected be- 
fore night, was not a pleasant prospect ; but to be caught 
in a snow-storm on the summit, where so many had per- 
ished during the past winter, was worse still. Upon re- 
viewing the chances I resolved to start, and if the storm 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



.351 



continued I thought there would be no difficulty in find- 
ing the way back. It was eight miles of a continuous 
and precipitous ascent to the summit, and three miles 
from that point to the Lake House in Lake Valley, 
where the accommodations were said to be the worst on 
the whole trail. 

i A few miles from Strawberry one of the party gave 
out in consequence of sore feet ; the other two pushed 




THB TRAIL I'UOM STRAWBERRY. 



352 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

on, despite the storm which now raged fearfully, but had 
not proceeded far when they were forced to turn back. 
I was loth to leave my disabled friend, and returned 
with him to Strawberry, where we had a repetition of 
nearly all that has already been described, only a little 
intensified in consequence of increased numbers. The 
others of our party stopped somewhere on the road, and 
I did not meet them again until next afternoon at Wood- 
ford's, on the other side of the mountain. 

As soon as it was light next morning I took another 
observation of the weather. It was still snowing, but 
not so heavily as on the preceding day. My remaining 
partner was by this time completely crippled in his feet, 
and had to hire a horse at the rate of twenty dollars for 
twenty-five miles. 

I was delayed some hours in getting off, owing to the 
pressure of the forces at the breakfast-table, but finally 
made a fair start for the summit. My pack had become 
a source of considerable inconvenience. I was accus- 
tomed to walking, but not to carrying a burden of twen- 
ty or twenty-five pounds. My shoulders and ankles 
were so galled that every step had to be made on the 
nicest calculation ; but the new snow on top of the old 
trail began to melt as soon as the sun came out, making 
a very bad trail for pedestrians. Two miles from Straw- 
berry we crossed a bridge, and struck for the summit. 

Sere we had need of all our powers of endurance. It 
was a constant struggle through melted snow and mud — 
slipping, sliding, grasping, rolling, tumbling, and climb- 
ing, up again and still up, till it verily seemed as if we 
must be approaching the clouds. The most prominent 
peculiarity of these mountains is, that a person on. foot, 
with a heavy load on his back, is never at the top when 
he imagines he is ; the "divide" is always a little farther 
on and a little higher up — at least until he passes it, 
which he does entirely ignorant of the fact. There is 
really no perceptible "divide;" you pass a series of ele- 
vations, and commence the descent without any appar- 
ent difference in the trail. 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 353 

The pack trains had broken through the old snow in 
many places, leaving deep holes, which, being now par- 
tially covered with recent snow, proved to be regular 
man-traps, often bringing up the unwary pedestrian " all 
standing." The sudden wrenching of the feet in the 
smaller holes, which had been explored by the legs of 
horses, mules, and cattle, was an occurrence of every ten 
or a dozen steps. In many places the trail was perfectly 
honeycombed wkh holes, where the heavily-laden ani- 
mals had cut through the snow, and it was exceedingly 
difficult to find a foothold. To step on either side and 
avoid these bad places would seem easy enough, but I 
tried it on more than one occasion, and got very nearly 
buried alive. All along the route, at intervals of a mile 
or two, we continued to meet pack trains ; and as every 
body had to give way before them, the tumbling out 
and plunging in the snow were very lively. ) 

I walked on rapidly in the hope of making Woodford's 
— the station on the eastern slope of the mountain — be- 
fore night, and by degrees got ahead of the main body 
of footmen who had left Strawberry that morning. In 
a narrow gorge, a short distance from the commence- 
ment of the descent into Lake Valley, I happened to 
look up a little to the right, where, to my astonishment, 
I perceived four large brown wolves sitting on their 
haunches not over twenty feet from me ! They seemed 
entirely unconcerned at my presence, except in so far as 
they may have indulged in some speculation as to the 
amount of flesh contained on my body. As I was entire- 
ly unarmed, I thought it would be but common polite- 
ness to speak to them, so I gave them a yell in the In- 
dian language. At this they retired a short distance, 
but presently came back again as if to inquire the exact 
meaning of my salutation. I now thought it best not to 
be too intimate, for I saw they were getting rather fa- 
miliar on a short acquaintance ; and picking up a stick 
oflfcood, I made a rush and a yell at them which must 
have been formidable in the extreme. This time they 



354 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 








" WE AEE WAITING FOB YOU." 

retreated more rapidly, and seemed undecided about re- 
turning. At this crisis in affairs a pack train came along, 
the driver of which had a pistol. Upon pointing out 
the wolves to him he fired, but missed them. They then 
retreated up the side of the mountain, and I saw nothing- 
more of them. 
( The descent of the "grade" was the next rough Teat- 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



355 



are in our day's journey. From the point overlooking 
Lake Valley the view is exceedingly fine. Lake Bigler 
— a sheet of water forty or fifty miles in length by ten 
or fifteen wide — lies embosomed in the mountains in full 
view from this elevation ; but there was a drizzling sleet 
which obscured it on this occasion. I had a fine sight 
of it. on my return, however, and have seldom witnessed 
any scene in Europe or elsewhere to compare with it in 
extent and grandeur. } 

The trail on the grade was slippery with sleet, and 
walking upon it was out of the question. Running, 
jumping, and sliding were the only modes of locomotion 
at all practicable. I tried one of the short cuts, and 
found it an expeditious way of getting to the bottom. 




Wt 



A SUOKT OCT. 



Some trifling obstruction deprived me of the use of my 
feet at the very start, after which I traveled down in a 
series of gyrations at once picturesque and complicated. 
When I reached the bottom I was entirely unable to 
comprehend how it had all happened ; but there I was, 
pack and baggage, all safely delivered in the snow — 
bones sound, and free of expense. 



056 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

At the Lake House — a tolerably good-sized shanty at 
the foot of the grade — we found a large party assembled, 
taking their ease as they best could in such a place, 
without much to eat and but little to drink, except old- 
fashioned taren tula-juice, "warranted to kill at forty 
paces." 

The host of the. Lake was in a constant state of nervous 
excitement, and did more scolding, swearing, gouging, 
and general hotel work in the brief space of half an hour 
than any man I ever saw. He seemed to be quite worn 
out with his run of customers — from a hundred to three 
hundred of a night, and nowhere to stow 'em — all cussin' 
at him for not keepin' provisions ; and how could ho, 
when they ate him clean out every day, and some of 'em 
never paid him, and never will ? 

I was not sorry to get clear of the Lake House, its 
filth, and its troubles. 

Upon crossing the valley, which is here about a mile 
wide, the ascent of the next summit commences. Here 
we had almost a repetition of the main summit, except 
that the descent on the other side is more gradual. 

At length we struck the beginning of Hope Valley. 
I shall always remember this portion of the journey as 
the worst I ever traveled on foot. Every yard of the 
trail was honeycombed to the depth of two or three 
feet. On the edges there was no foothold at all ; and 
occasionally we had to wade knee-deep in black, sticky 
mire, from which it was difficult to extricate one's feet 
and boots at the same time. I was glad enough when 
myself and two casual acquaintances succeeded in reach- 
ing the solitary log house which stands near the middle 
of the valley. 

I little expected to find in this wilderness a philoso- 
pher of the old school ; but here was a man who had 
evidently made up his mind to withstand all the allure- 
ments of wealth, and devote the remainder of his life to 
ascetic reflections upon the follies of mankind. Diogenes 
in his tub was not more rigorous in his seclusion than 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 357 

this isolated inhabitant of Hope Valley. His log cabin, 
to be sure, was some improvement, in extent, upon the 
domicile of that famous philosopher ; but in point of 
architectural style, I don't know that there could have 
been much advantage either way. 

A few empty bags, and a bar entirely destitute of bot- 
tles, with a rough bench to sit upon, comprised all the 
furniture that was visible to the naked eye. From a 
beam overhead hung a bunch of foxskins, which emitted 
a very gamy odor ; and the clay floor had apparently 
never been swept, save by the storms that had passed 
over it before the cabin was built. A couple of rifles 
hung upon pegs projecting from the chimnej 7 , and a 
powder-flaslafcvas the only mantle-piece ornament. Diog- 
enes sat, or rather reclined, on the pile of empty sacks, 
holding by the neck a fierce bull-dog. The sanguinary 
propensities of tlfll animal were manifested by repeated 
attempts to break awa} r , and seize somebody by the 
throat or the leg; not that he growled, or snarled, or 
showed any puppyish symptoms of a trifling kind, but 
there was a playful switching of his tail and a leer of 
the eye uncommonly vicious and tiger-like. It certainly 
would not have taken him more than two minutes to 
hamstring the stoutest man in the party. 

Between the dog and his master there was a very 
striking congeniality of disposition, if one might judge 
by the expression of their respective countenances. It 
would apparently have taken but little provocation to 
make either of them bite. 

Battered and bruised as we were, and hungry into the 
bargain, after our hard struggle over the mountain, it 
became a matter of vital importance that we should se- 
cure lodgings for the night, and, if possible, get some- 
thing to eat. The place looked rather unpromising ; 
but, after our experience in Lake Valley, Ave were not 
easily discouraged. Upon broaching the subject to Di- 
ogenes in the mildest possible manner, his brow dark- 
ened, as if a positive insult to his common sense had 
been attempted. 



358 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



, - i 

:■ ; ) V 




" Stay here all night !" he repeated, savagely. " What 
the h — 11 do you want to stay here all night for ?" 

We hinted at a disposition to sleep, and thought he 
might possibly have room on the floor for our blankets. 

At this he snapped his fingers contemptuously, and 
muttered, " Can't come that over me ! I've been here too 
loner for that !" 



A PEEP AT WASHUE. 359 

" But Ave are willing to pay you whatever is fair." 

" Pay ? Who said I wanted pay ? Do I look like a 
man that wants money?" 

We thought not. 

" If I wanted money," continued Diogenes, " I could 
have made fifty dollars a day for the last two months. 
But I ask no favors of the world. Some of 'em wants 
to stay here whether I will or no ; I rather think I'm too 
many for any of that sort — eh, Bull, what d'ye say ?" 
Bull growled, with a bloodthirsty meaning. " Too many 
altogether, gents — me and Bull." 

There was a sturdy independence about this fellow, 
and a scorn for filthy lucre that rather astonished me as 
a citizen of a money-loving state. 

" Well, if you can't let us stay all night, perhaps you 
can get us up a snack of dinner ?" 

"Snack of dinner?" — and here there Avas a guttural 
chuckle that boded failure again — " I tell you this ain't 
a tavern ; and if it Avas, my cook's gone out to take a 
airing." 

" But have you nothing in the house to eat ?" 

" Oh yes, there's a bunch of foxskins. If you'd like 
some of 'em cooked, I'll bile 'em for you." 

This man's disposition had evidently been soured in 
early life. I think he must have been crossed in love. 
His style had the merit of being terse, but his manner 
Avas sarcastic to the verge of impoliteness. 

" Well, I suppose Ave can warm ourselves at the fire ?" 

" If you can," quoth Diogenes, " you can do more than 
I can ; and here he hauled his blanket over his shoulders, 
and fell back on the empty potato sacks as if there was 
no more to be said on that or any other subject. 

The bull-dog seemed to be of the same Avay of think- 
ing, and quietly laid down by his master ; still, however, 
keeping his eye on us, as suspicious characters. 

Nothing remained but to push on for Woodford's, 
distant six miles. 

Noav, Avhen you come to put six miles on the end of 



360 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

a day's journey such as ours had been, it becomes a 
serious matter. Besides, it was growing late, and a ter- 
rific wind, accompanied by a blinding sleet, rendered it 
scarcely practicable to stand up, much less to walk. I 
do not know bow we ever staggered over that six miles. 
The last three, however, were down hill, and not so bad, 
as the snow was pretty well gone from the canon on the 
approach to Woodford's. 

This is the last station on the way over from Carson, 
and forms the upper terminus of that valley. It is sup- 
posed to be in Utah, but our landlord could not tell us 
exactly where the boundary-line ran. 

We found here several hundred people, bound in both 
directions, and passed a very rough night, trying to get 
a little sleep amid the motley and noisy crowd. 

I had endured the journey thus far very well, and had 
gained considerably in strength and appetite. The next 
day, however, upon striking into the sand of Carson Val- 
ley, my feet became terribly blistered, and the walking 
was exceedingly painful. There are some good farms in 
the upper part of the valley, between Woodford's and 
Genoa, though the general aspect of the country is bar- 
ren in the extreme. 

By sundown I had made only fifteen miles, and still 
was three miles from Genoa. Every hundred yards was 
now equal to a mile. At length I found it utterly im- 
possible to move another step. It was quite dark, and 
there was nothing for it but to sit down on the road-side. 
Fortunately, the weather was comparatively mild. As 
I was meditating how to pass the night, I perceived a 
hot spring close by, toward which I crept ; and finding 
.the water strongly impregnated with salt, it occurred to 
me that it might benefit my feet. I soon plunged them 
in, and in half an hour found them so much improved 
that I was enabled to resume my journey. An hour 
more, and I was snugly housed at Genoa. 

This was a place of some importance during the time 
of the Mormon settlements, but had not kept pace with 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 361 

Carson City in the general improvement caused by the 
recent discoveries. At present it contained a population 
of not more than two or three hundred, chiefly store- 
keepers, teamsters, and workmen employed upon a neigh- 
boring saw-mill. The inhabitants professed to be rich 
in silver leads, but upon an examination of the records 
to find the lead in which my San Francisco friend had 
invested, and which was represented to be in this dis- 
trict, I was unable to find any trace of it; and there was 
no such name as that of the alleged owner known or 
ever heard of in Genoa. In fact, as I afterward ascer- 
tained, it was purely a fictitious name, and the whole 
transaction was one of those Peter Funk swindles so 
often practiced upon the unwary during this memorable 
era of swindles. I don't know how my friend received 
the intelligence, but I reported it to him without a soli- 
tary mitigating circumstance. Had I met with the vile 
miscreant who had imposed upon him, I should have 
felt bound to resort to personal measures of satisfaction, 
in consideration of the fund expended by my friend on 
the expenses of this commission of inquiry. The deeds 
were so admirably drawn, and the names written so legi- 
bly, that I don't wonder he Avas taken in. In fact, the 
only obstacle to his scheme of sudden wealth was, that 
there were no such mines, and no such men as the alleged 
discoverers in existence. 

I proceeded the next clay to Carson City, which I had 
fixed upon as the future head-quarters of my agency. 
The distance from Genoa is fifteen miles, the road wind- 
ing around the base of the foot-hills most of the way. 
I was much impressed with the marked difference be- 
tween the country on this side of the Sierra Nevada 
range and the California side. Here the mountains were 
but sparsely timbered ; the soil was poor and sandy, 
producing little else than stunted sage bushes ; and the 
few scattering farms had a thriftless and poverty-stricken 
look, as if the task of cultivation had proved entirely 
hopeless, and had long since been given up. Across the 

Q 




CARSON CITY. 






( 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 363 

valley toAvard the Desert, ranges of mountains, almost 
destitute of trees, and of most stern and forbidding as- 
pect, stretched as far as the eye could reach. Carson 
River, which courses through the plain, presented the 
only pleasing feature in the scene. 

I was rather agreeably suprised at the civilized aspect 
of Carson City. It is really quite a pretty and thrifty 
little town. Situated within a mile of the foot-hills, 
within reach of the main timber region of the country, 
and well watered by streams from the mountains, it is 
rather imposing on first acquaintance ; but the climate is 
abominable, and not to be endured. I know of none so 
bad except that of Virginia City, which is infinitely 
worse. The population was about twelve or fifteen 
hundred at the time of my visit. There was great spec- 
ulation in town lots going on, a rumor having come from 
Salt Lake that the seat of government of Utah was about 
to be removed to Carson. Hotels and stores were in 
progress of erection all about the Plaza, but especially 
drinking and gambling saloons, it being an article of faith 
among the embryo sovereigns of Utah that no govern- 
ment can be judiciously administered without plenty of 
whisky, and superior accommodations for "bucking at 
monte." I am not sure but there is a similar feature in 
the California Constitution ; at least, the practice is car- 
ried on to some extent at Sacramento during the sittings 
of the Legislature. Measures of the most vital import- 
ance are first introduced in rum cocktails, then steeped 
in whisky, after which they are engrossed in gin for a 
third reading. Before the final vote the opponents ad- 
journ to a game of poker or sledge, and upon the amount 
of Champagne furnished on the occasion by the respect- 
ive parties interested in the bill depends its passage or 
defeat. It was said that Champagne carried one of the 
great senatorial elections; but this has been denied, and 
it would be dangerous to insist upon it. 

I had the pleasure of meeting in jCarson an esteemed 
friend from San Francisco, Mr. A. J. Van Winkle, Real 



364 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

Estate Agent, who, being a descendant of the famous 
Rip Van Winkle, was thoughtful enough to furnish me 
with a bunk to sleep in. Warned by the fate of his un- 
happy ancestor, my friend had gone briskly into the land 
business^nd now owned enough of town lots, of amaz- 
iugly appreciative value, to keep any man awake for the 
remainder of his life. I think if I had as much property, 
doubling itself up all the time like an acrobat in a circus, 
I would never sleep another wink thinking about it. 

Chief among the curiosities of Carson City is the Ter- 
ritorial Enterprise — a newspaper of an origin long an- 
terior to the mining excitement. I was introduced to 
"the Colonel," who presides over the editorial depart- 
ment, and found him uncommonly strong on the ultimate 
destiny of Carson. His office was located in a dirty 
frame shanty, where, amid types, rollers, composing- 
stones, and general rubbish of a dark and literary aspect, 
those astounding editorials which now and then arouse 
the public mind are concocted. The Colonel and his 
compositors live in a sort of family fashion, entirely free 
from the rigorous etiquette of such establishments in 
New York. They cook their own food in the composi- 
tion room (which is also the editorial and press room), 
and being, as a general thing, short of plates, use the 
frying-pan in common for that purpose. In cases of 
great festivity and rejoicing, when a subscriber has set- 
tled up arrearages or the cash is paid down for a good 
job of hand-bills, the Colonel purchases the best tender- 
loin steak to be had in market, and cooks it with one 
hand, while with the other he writes a letter of thanks 
to the subscriber, or a puff on the hand-bill. (But the 
great hope upon which the Colonel feeds his imagination 
is the removal of the seat of government from Salt Lake 
to Carson City, which he considers the proper place. 
Mr. Van Winkle is also of the same opinion ; and, as a 
general thing, the proposition is favorably entertained 
by the citizens of Carson. A 

As usual in new countries, a strong feeling of rivalry 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 3G5 

exists between the Cavsouites and the inhabitants of 
Virginia City. I have summed up the arguments on 
both sides and reduced them to the following pungent 
essence : 

Virginia City — a mud-hole ; climate, hurricanes and 
snow ; water, a dilution of arsenic, plumbago, and cop- 
peras ; wood, none at all except sage-brush ; no title to 
property, and no property worth having. 

Carson City — a mere accident ; occupation of the in- 
habitants, waylaying strangers bound for Virginia ; bus- 
iness, selling whisky, and so dull at that, men fall asleep 
in the middle of the street going from one groggery to 
another ; productions, grass and weeds on the Plaza. 

While this fight is going on, Silver City, which lies 
about midway between the two, shrugs her shoulders 
and thanks her stars there can be no rivalry in her case. 
If ever there was a spot fitted by nature for a seat of 
government, it is Silver City — the most central, the most 
moral, the most promising; in short, the only place 
where the seat of government can exist for any length 
of time. 

This Kilkenny-cat fight is highly edifying to a stran- 
ger, who, of course, is expected to take sides, or at once 
acknowledge himself an enemy. The result, I hope, will 
be satisfactory and triumphant to all parties. I would 
suggest that the government be split into three slices, 
and a slice stowed away under ground in each of the 
great cities, so that it may permeate the foundations of 
society. 



CHAPTER IV. 

AN INFERNAL CITY. 

A few days after my arrival in Carson the sky dark- 
ened, and Ave soon had a specimen of the spring weather 
of this region. To say that it stormed, snowed, and 



366 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

rained would be ridiculously tame iu comparison -with 
the real state of the case. The wind whistled through 
the thin shanties in a manner that left scarcely a hope of 
roof or frame standing till night. Through the crevices 
came little hurricanes of snow-drift mixed with sand ; 
each tenement groaned and creaked as if its last hour 
had come ; the air was bitterly cold ; and it seemed, in 
short, as if the vengeance of Heaven had been let loose 
on this desolate and benighted region. 

Next day the clouds gradually lifted from the mount- 
ain tops, and the sun once more shone out bright and 
clear. The snow, which now covered the valley, began 
to disappear ; the lowing of half-starved cattle, in search 
of the few green patches visible here and there, gave 
some promise of life ; but soon the portentous gusts of 
wind swept down again from the canons; dark clouds 
overspread the sky, and a still more violent storm than 
on the preceding day set in, and continued without in- 
termission all night. By morning the whole face of the 
country was covered with. snow. A few stragglers 
came in from Woodford's, who reported that the trail to 
Placerville was covered up to the depth of six or eight 
feet, and was entirely impracticable for man or beast. 
Apprehensions were felt for the safety of the trains on 
the way through, as nothing could be heard from them. 
A large party had started out to open the trail, but 
were forced back by the severity of the weather. The 
snow-drifts were said to vary from twenty to thirty feet 
in depth. 

Here was a pretty predicament ! To be shut up in 
this desolate region, where even the cattle were dying of 
starvation, with seven or eight thousand human mouths 
to be fed, and the stock of provisions rapidly giving out, 
was rather a serious aspect of affairs. I do not know 
that actual starvation could have resulted for some time, 
certainly not until what cattle were alive had been killed, 
and soup made of the dead carcasses that covered the 
plain. Even before resorting to the latter extremity 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. SQ1 

there were horses, mules, burros, and dogs on hand, 
upon which the cravings of hunger might be appeased 
for a month or so ; and in the event of all these resources 
giving out, should the worst come to the worst, the few 
Digger Indians that hung around the settlements might 
be made available as an article of temporary subsistence. 

In this extremity, when considerable suffering, if not 
absolute starvation, stared us in the face, the anxiety 
respecting the opening of the trails became general. 
Groups of men of divers occupations stood in the streets, 
or on every little rise of ground in the neighborhood, 
speculating upon the chances or peering through the 
gloom in the hope of discerning the approach of some 
relief train. The sugar was gone; flour was eighty dol- 
lars a sack, and but little to be had at that; barley was 
seventy-five cents a pound, and hay sixty cents ; horses 
were dying for want of something to eat ; cigars were 
rapidly giving out; whisky might stand the pull another 
week, but the prospect was gloomy of any thing more 
nourishing. 

In this exciting state of affairs, when every brain was 
racked to devise ways and means of relief, and when 
hope of succor was almost at an end, a scout came run- 
ning in from the direction of the Downerville trail with 
the glorious tidings of an approaching mule train. The 
taverns, billiard saloons,, groggeries, and various stores 
were soon empty — every body rushed down the street 
to have assurance made doubly sure. Cheer after cheer 
burst from the elated crowd when the train hove in sight. 
On it came — at first like a row of ants creeping down 
the hillside ; then nearer and larger, till the clatter of the 
hoofs and the rattling of the packs could be heard ; then 
the blowing of the tired mules ; and at last the leader, 
an old gray mule, came staggering wearily along heavily 
packed. A barrel was poised on his back — doubtless a 
barrel of beef, or it might be pork, or bacon. The brand 
heaves in sight. Per Baccho ! it is neither beef, pork, 
nor bacon, but whisky — old Bourbon whisky ! The next 



;jG8 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

mule totters along under two half barrels. Speculation 
is rife. Every man with a stomach and an appetite for 
wholesome food is interested. Pigs' feet perhaps, or 
mackerel, or, it may be, preserved chicken ? But here 
is the mark — brandy / by the powers! nothing but bran- 
dy/ However, here comes the third w T ith a load of five- 
gallon kegs — molasses beyond question, or lard, or but- 
ter? Wrong again, gentlemen — gin, nothing but gin. 
On staggers a fourth, heavily burdened with more kegs 
— sugar, or corn-meal, or preserved apples, I'll bet my 
head. Never bet your head. It is nothing but bitters 
— Mack's Bitters ! But surely the fifth carries a box of 
crushed sugar on his back, he bears himself so gayly un- 
der his burden. And well he may ! That box contains 
no more sugar than you do, my friend ; it is stuffed 
choke-full with decanters, tumblers, and pewter spoons. 
But there are still ten or fifteen mules more. Surely 
there must be some provisions in the train. Nobody 
can live to a very protracted period of life on brandy, 
whisky, gin, Mack's Bitters, and glass-ware. Alas for 
human expectation ! One by one the jaded animals pass, 
groaning and tottering under their heavy burdens — a 
barrel of rum ; two boxes of bottled ale ; six crates of 
Champagne ; two pipes of California wine ; a large crate 
of bar fixtures ; and a dozen boxes of cigars — none of 
them nutritious articles of subsistence. 

As if to enhance our troubles, the party in charge of 
the train had been nearly starved out in the mountains, 
and now came in the very lankest and hungriest of the 
crowd. If they were thirsty, it was their own fault ; 
but none of them looked as if they had suffered in that 
respect. 

Before entering into the responsible duties of my agen- 
cy, I was desirous of seeing as much of the mining re- 
gion as possible, and with this view took the stage for 
Virginia City. The most remarkable peculiarity on the 
road was the driver, whose likeness I struck in a happy 
moment of inspiration. At Silver City, eight miles from 










Q2 



370 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

Carson, I dismounted, and proceeded the rest of the way 
on foot. The road here becomes rough and hilly, and 
but little is to be seen of the city except a- few tents and 
board shanties. Haifa mile beyond is a remarkable gap 
cut by Nature through the mountain, as if for the ex- 
press purpose of giving the road an opportunity to visit 
Virginia City. 

As I passed through the Devil's Gate it struck me 
that there was something ominous in the name. "Let 
all who enter here — " But I had already reached the 
other side. It was too late now for repentance. I was 
about to inquire where the devil — Excuse me, I use 
the word in no indecorous sense. I was simply about 
to ask where he lived, when, looking up the road, I saw 
amid the smoke and din of shivered rocks, where grimy 
imps were at work blasting for ore, a string of adventur- 
ers laden with picks, shovels, and crowbars ; kegs of 
powder, frying-pans, pitch-forks, and other instruments 
of torture — all wearily toiling in the same direction ; 
decrepit old men, with avarice imprinted upon their fur- 
rowed brows ; Jews and Gentiles, foot-weary and hag- 
gard ; the young and the old, the strong and the weak, 
all alike burning with an unhallowed lust for lucre ; and 
then I shuddered as the truth flashed upon me that they 
were going straight to — Virginia City. 

Every foot of the canon was claimed, and gangs of 
miners were at work all along the road, digging and 
delving into the earth like so many infatuated gophers. 
Many of these unfortunate creatures lived in holes dug 
into the side of the hill, and here and there a blanket 
thrown over a few stakes served as a domicile to shield 
them from the weather. 

At Gold Hill, two miles beyond the Gate, the excite- 
ment was quite pitiable to behold. Those who were not 
at work burrowing holes into the mountain were gath- 
ered in gangs around the whisky saloons, pouring liquid 
fire down their throats, and swearing all the time in a 
manner so utterly reckless as to satisfy me they had long 
since bid farewell to hope. 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



•!71 



n 




THE DEVIL'S GATE. 

This district is said to be exceedingly rich in gold, and 
I fancy it may well be so, for it is certainly rich in noth- 
ing else. A more barren -looking and forbidding spot 
could scarcely be found elsewhere on the face of the 
earth. The whole aspect of the country indicates that 
it must have been burned up in hot fires many years ago 



372 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

and reduced to a mass of cinders, or scraped up from all 
the desolate spots in the known world, and thrown over 
the Sierra Nevada Mountains in a confused mass to be 
out of the way. I do not wish to be , understood as 
speaking disrespectfully of any of the works of creation, 
but it is inconceivable that this region should ever have 
been designed as an abode for man. 

A short distance beyond Gold Hill Ave came in sight 
of the great mining capital of Washoe, the far-famed 
Virginia City. In the course of a varied existence it 
had been my fortune to visit the city of Jerusalem, the 
city of Constantinople, the city of the Sea, the City of 
the Dead, the Seven Cities, and others of historical ce- 
lebrity in the Old World, and many famous cities in the 
New, including Port Townsend, Crescent City, Benicia, 
and the New York of the Pacific, but I had neVer yet be- 
held such a city as that which now burst upon my dis- 
tended organs of vision. 

On a slope of mountains speckled with snow, sage- 
bushes, and mounds of upturned earth, without any ap- 
parent beginning or end, congruity or regard for the 
eternal fitness of things, lay outspread the wondrous city 
of Virginia. 

Frame shanties, pitched together as if by accident ; 
tents of canvas, of blankets, of brush, of potato-sacks and 
old shirts, with empty whisky -barrels for chimneys ; 
smoky hovels of mud and stone ; coyote holes in the 
mountain side forcibly seized and held by men ; pits and 
shafts with smoke issuing from every crevice ; piles of 
goods and rubbish on craggy points, in the hollows, on 
the rocks, in the mud, in the snow, every where, scat- 
tered broadcast in pell-mell confusion, as if the clouds 
had suddenly burst overhead and rained down the dregs 
of all the flimsy, rickety, filthy little hovels and rubbish 
of merchandise that had ever undergone the process of 
evaporation from the earth since the days of Noah. The 
intervals of space, which may or may not have been 
streets, were dotted over with human beings of such 





ViEUlNIA CITY. 



374 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

sort, variety, and numbers, that the famous ant-hills of 
Africa were as nothing in the comparison. To say that 
they were rough, muddy, unkempt and unwashed, would 
be but faintly expressive of their actual appearance ; 
they were all this by reason of exposure to the weather; 
but they seemed to have caught the very diabolical tint 
and grime of the whole place. Here and there, to be 
sure, a San Francisco dandy of the "boiled shirt" and 
" stove-pipe" pattern loomed up in proud consciousness 
of the triumphs of art under adverse circumstances, but 
they were merely peacocks in the barn-yard. 

A fraction of the crowd, as we entered the precincts 
of the town, were engaged in a lawsuit relative to a 
question of title. The arguments used on both sides 
were empty whisky-bottles, after the fashion of the Ba- 
silinum, or club law, which, according to Addison, pre- 
vailed in the colleges of learned men in former times. 
Several of the disputants had already been knocked 
down and convinced, and various others were freely 
shedding their blood in the cause of justice. Even the 
bull-terriers took an active part — or, at least, a very 
prominent part. The difficulty was about the ownership 
of a lot, which had been staked out by one party and 
"jumped" by another. Some two or three hundred dis- 
interested observers stood by, enjoying the spectacle, 
several of them with their hands on their revolvers, to be 
ready in case of any serious issue; but these dangerous 
weapons are only used on great occasions — a refusal to 
drink, or some illegitimate trick at monte. 

Upon fairly reaching what might be considered the 
centre of the town, it was interesting to observe the 
maimers and customs of the place. Groups of keen spec- 
ulators were huddled around the corners, in earnest con- 
sultation about the rise and fall of stocks ; rough custom- 
ers, with red and blue flannel shirts, were straggling in 
from the Flowery Diggings, the Desert, and other rich 
points, with specimens of croppings in their hands, or 
offering bargains in the " Rogers," the " Lady Bryant," 




A QUESTION OF TITLE. 



31 Q A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

the "Mammoth," the "Woolly Horse," and Heaven 
knows how many other valuable leads, at prices varying 
from ten to seventy-five dollars a foot. Small knots of 
the knowing ones were in confidential interchange of 
thought on the subject of every other man's business ; 
here and there a loose man was caught by the button, 
and led aside behind a shanty to be " stuffed ;" every 
body had some grand secret, which nobody else could 
find out ; and the game of " dodge" and " pump" was 
universally played. Jew clothing-men were setting out 
their goods and chattels in front of wretched-looking 
tenements ; monte-dealers, gamblers, thieves, cut-throats, 
and murderers were mingling miscellaneously in the 
dense crowds gathered around the bars of the drinking 
saloons. Now and then a half-starved Pah-Ute or Wash- 
oe Indian came tottering along under a heavy press of 
fagots and whisky. On the main street, where the mass 
of the population were gathered, a jaunty fellow who had 
"made a good thing of it" dashed through the crowds 
on horseback, accoutred in genuine Mexican style, swing- 
ing his riata over his head, and yelling like a devil let 
loose. All this time the wind blew in terrific gusts from 
the four quarters of the compass, tearing away signs, 
capsizing tents, scattering the grit from the gravel-banks 
with blinding force in every body's eyes, and sweeping 
furiously around every crook and corner in search of 
some sinner to smite. Never was such a wind as this — 
so scathing, so searching, so given to penetrate the very 
core of suffering humanity ; disdaining overcoats, and 
utterly scornful of shawls and blankets. It actually 
seemed to double up, twist, pull, push, and screw the un- 
fortunate biped till his muscles cracked and his bones 
rattled — following him wherever he sought refuge, pur- 
suing him down the back of the neck, up the coat-sleeves, 
ih rough the legs of his pantaloons, into his boots — in 
short, it was the most villainous and persecuting wind 
that ever blew, and I boldly protest that it did nobody 
troofl. 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



377 



Yet, in the midst of the general wreck and crash of 
matter, the business of trading in claims, "bucking" and 
" bearing," went on as if the zephyrs of Virginia were 
as soft and balmy as those of San Francisco. 




This was surely — No matter; nothing on earth 
could aspire to competition with such a place. It was 
essentially infernal in every aspect, whether viewed from 
the Comstock Ledge or the summit of Gold Hill. No- 
body seemed to own the lots except by right of posses- 
sion ; yet there was trading in lots to an unlimited ex- 
tent. Nobody had any money, yet every body was a 
millionaire in silver claims. Nobody had any credit, yet 
every body bought thousands of feet of glittering ore. 
Sales were made in the Mammoth, the Lady Bryant, the 



378 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

Sacramento, the Winnebunk, and the innumerable other 
"outside claims," at the most astounding figures, but 
not a dime passed hands. All was silver under ground, 
and deeds and mortgages on top; silver, silver every- 
where, but scarce a dollar in coin. The small change 
had somehow gotten out of the hands of the public into 
the gambling saloons. 

Every speck of ground covered by canvas, boards, 
baked mud, brush, or other architectural material, was 
jammed to suffocation ; there were sleeping houses, 
twenty feet by thirty, in which from one hundred and 
fifty to two hundred solid sleepers sought slumber at 
night, at a dollar a head ; tents, eight by ten, offering ac- 
commodations to the multitude; any thing or any place, 
even a stall in a stable, would have been a luxury. 

The chief hotel, called, if I remember, the "Indication," 
or the " Hotel de Haystack," or some such euphonious 
name, professed to accommodate three hundred live men, 
and it doubtless did so, for the floors were covered from 
the attic to the solid earth — three hundred human beings 
in a tinder-box not bigger than a first-class hen-coop ! 
But they were sorry-looking sleepers as they came forth 
each morning, swearing at the evil genius who had di- 
rected them to this miserable spot — every man a dollar 
and a pound of flesh poorer. I saw some, who perhaps 
were short of means, take surreptitious naps against the 
posts and walls in the bar-room, while they ostensibly 
professed to be mere spectators. 

In truth, wherever I turned there was much to confirm 
the forebodings with which I had entered the Devil's 
Gate. The deep pits on the hill-sides ; the blasted and 
barren appearance of the whole country ; the unsight- 
ly hodge-podge of a town ; the horrible confusion of 
tongues ; the roaring, raving drunkards at the bar-rooms, 
swilling fiery liquids from morning till night ; the flaring 
and flaunting gambling-saloons, filled with desperadoes 
of the vilest sort ; the ceaseless torrent of imprecations 
that shocked the ear on every side ; the mad specula- 




GOLD niLL. 



380 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



tions and feverish thirst for gain — all combined to give 
me a forcible impression of the unhallowed character of 
the place. 

What dreadful savage is that ? I asked, as a ferocious- 
looking monster in human shape stalked through the 
crowd. Is it — can it be the — ? No ; that's only a mur- 
derer. He shot three men a few weeks ago, and will 
probably shoot another before night. And this aged 
and decrepit man, his thin locks floating around his hag- 
gard and unshaved face, and matted "with filth ? That's 




SAN FRANCISCO SPECULATORS. 



a speculator from San Francisco. See how wildly he 
grasps at every "indication," as if he had a lease of life 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



381 



for a thousand years! And this bull-dog fellow, with a 
mutilated face, button-holing every by-passer ? That fel- 
low ? Oh, he's only a " bummer" in search of a cocktail. 
And this — and this — all these crazy-looking wretches, 
running hither and thither with hammers and stones in 
their hands, calling one another aside, hurrying to the. 
assay offices, pulling out papers, exchanging mysterious 




ASSAY OFFICE. 



382 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

signals — who and what are all these? Oh, these are 
Washoe millionaires. They are deep in " outside claims." 
The little fragments of rock they carry in their hands 
are " croppings" and " indications" from the " Wake-up- 
Jake," "Root-Hog-or-Die," "Wild-Cat," "Grizzly-Hill," 
"Dry-up," "Same Horse," " Let-her-Rip," "You Bet," 
" Gouge-Eye," and other famous ledges and companies, 
in which they own some thousands of feet. Hold, good 
friend ! I am convinced there is no rest for the wicked. 
All night long these dreadful noises continue ; the ears 
are distracted with an unintelligible jargon of "crop- 
pings," "ledges," "lodes," "leads," "indications," "feet," 
and "strikes," and the nostrils offended with foul odors 
of boots, old pipes, and dirty blankets — who can doubt 
the locality ? If the climate is more rigorous than Dante 
describes it — if Calypso might search in vain for Ulysses 
in such a motley crowd — these apparent differences are 
not inconsistent with the general theory of changes pro- 
duced by American emigration and the sudden conglom- 
eration of such incongruous elements. 

I was grieved and astonished to find many friends 
hei - e — some of them gentlemen who had borne a very 
fair reputation in San Francisco, and whose unhappy fate 
I never could have anticipated. The bankers and bro- 
kers who had been cut off, after a prosperous career on 
Montgomery Street, had, of course, reached the goal to- 
ward which they had long been tending; the lawyers, 
who had set their unfortunate fellow-creatures by the 
ears, were now in a congenial element ; the hard traders 
and unscrupulous speculators, who had violated all the 
moral obligations of life in their greedy lust for money, 
naturally abounded in large numbers; in short, it was 
not a matter of surprise that justice had at length been 
dealt out to many sinful men. But when I recognized 
friends whom I had formerly known as good citizens, 
the fathers of interesting families, exemplary members 
of society in San Francisco, I was profoundly shocked, 
ft was impo*ble to deny that they must have been 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. ,383 

guilty of some grievous wickedness to entitle them to 
such a punishment. 
/'What surprised me most of all was to find Colonel 
R , to whom I had a letter of introduction, the lead- 
ing spirit here. His assistance was sought by all. He 
was the best friend to any man in need of advice. Hos- 
pitality with him was a cardinal virtue. He had turned 
out of his own snug quarters long since to make room 
for the sick and disabled, and now slept about wher- 
ever he could find shelter. He was chief owner in the 
"ComstockLead," and showed great liberality in giving 
a helping hand to others on the road to fortune. In fine, 
I am utterly unable to determine for what crime he was 
now suffering expiation. There was nothing in his con- 
duct that I could discover the least unbecoming to a 
good citizen. His benevolence, hospitality, and genial 
manners were worthy any Christian. To me and to 
many others he proved the good Samaritan, and I still 
hesitate to believe that he merited the hard fate now 
meted out to him. But who can fathom the judgments 
pronounced upon men? J 

The bare contemplation of the miseries suffered by the 
inhabitants of this dreadful place was enough to stagger 
all convictions of my identity. Could it be possible that 
I was at last in — in Virginia City ? What had I done 
to bring me to this ? In vain I entered into a retrospec- 
tion of the various iniquities of my life; but I could hit 
upon nothing that seemed bad enough to warrant such 
a fate. At length a withering truth flashed upon me. 
This must be the end of a federal existence! This must 
be the abode of ex-inspector-generals ! It must be here 
that the accounts current of the decapitated are exam- 
ined. Woe to the wretch who failed to profit by specie 
clause of the Independent Treasury Act while he had 
official claws on liand ! Such laches of public duty can 
not be tolerated even in — Virginia City. 

I slept, or rather tried to sleep, at one "Zip's," where 
there were only twenty "bunks" in the room, and was 



384 



A PEEP AT WASHUE. 



fortunate in securing a bunk even there. But the great 
Macbeth himself, laboring under the stings of an evil 
conscience, could have made a better hand of sleeping 
than I did at Zip's. It proved to be a general meeting- 
place for my San Francisco friends, and as they were all 
very rich in mining claims, and bent on getting still rich- 
er, they were continually making out deeds, examining 




titles, trading and transferring claims, discussing the 
purchases and prospects of the day, and exhibiting the 
most extraordinary " indications" yet discovered, in 
which one or other of them held an interest of fifty or a 
hundred feet, worth, say, a thousand dollars a foot. 
Between the cat-naps of oblivion that visited my eyes 
there was a constant din of "croppings" — "feet" — "fifty 
thousand dollars" — "struck it rich I"- 1 -" the Comstock 
Ledge!"— "the Billy Choller !"—" Miller on the rise!" 
— " Mammoth !" — " Sacramento !" — " Lady Bryant !" — 
"a thousand feet more !" — "great bargain" — "forty dol- 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 385 

lars afoot!" — crash! rip! bang! — "an earthquake!" — 
" run for your lives !" 

What the deuce is the matter? 

It happened thus one night. The wind was blowing 
in terrific gusts. In the midst of the general clatter on 
the subject of croppings, bargains, and indications, down 
came our next neighbor's house on the top of us with a 
terrific crash. For a moment it was difficult to tell 
which house was the ruin. Amid projecting and shiv- 
ered planks, the flapping of canvas, and the howling of 
the wind, it really seemed as if chaos had come again. 
But "Zip's" was well braced, and stood the shock with- 
out much damage, a slight heel and lurch to leeward be- 
ing the chief result. I could not help thinking, as I 
turned in again after the alarm, that there could no lon- 
ger be a doubt on the subject which had already occa- 
sioned me so many unpleasant reflections. It even 
seemed as if I smelled something like brimstone; but, 
upon calling to Zip to know what was the matter, he 
informed me that he was "only dryin' the boots on the 
stove." 



CHAPTER V. 

SOCIETY OF VIRGINIA CITT. 

Notwithstanding the number of physicians who had 
already hoisted their "shingles," there was much sick- 
ness in Virginia, owing chiefly to exposure and dissipa- 
tion, but in some measure to the deleterious quality of 
the water. Nothing more was wanting to confirm my 
original impressions. The water was certainly the worst 
ever used by man. Filtered through the Comstock 
Lead, it carried with it much of the plumbago, arsenic, 
copperas, and other poisonous minerals alleged to exist 
in that vein. The citizens of Virginia had discovered 
what they conceived to be an infallible Avay of "correct- 

R 




TUK COMBTOOK LEAD. 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 387 

ing it ;" that is to say, it was their practice to mix a 
spoonful of water in half a tumbler of whisky, and then 
drink it. The whisky was supposed to neutralize the 
bad effects of the water. Sometimes it was considered 
good to mix it with gin. I was unable to see how any 
advantage could be gained in this way. The whisky 
contained strychnine, oil of tobacco, tarentula juice, and 
various effective poisons of the same general nature, in- 
cluding a dash of corrosive sublimate ; and the gin was 
manufactured out of turpentine and whisky, with a 
sprinkling of prussic acid to give it flavor. For my 
part, I preferred taking poison in its least complicated 
form, and therefore adhered to the water. With hot 
saleratus bread, beans fried in grease, and such drink as 
this, it was no wonder that scores were taken down sick 
from day to day. 

Sickness is bad enough at the best of times, but here 
the condition of the sick was truly pitiable. There was 
scarcely a tenement in the place that could be regarded 
as affording shelter against the piercing wind ; and 
crowded as every tent and hovel was to its utmost capac- 
ity, it was hard even to find a vacant spot to lie down, 
much less sleep or rest in comfort. Many had come 
with barely means sufficient to defray their expenses to 
the diggings, in the confident belief that they would im- 
mediately strike upon "something 'rich ;" or, if they 
failed in that, they could work a while on wages. But 
the highest wages here for common labor were three 
dollars a day, while meals were a dollar each, and lodg- 
ings the same. It was a favor to get work for " grub." 
Under such circumstances, when a poor fellow fell sick, 
his recovery could only be regarded as a matter of luck. 
No record of the deaths was kept. The mass of the 
emigration were strangers to each other, and it concern- 
ed nobody in particular when a man " pegged out," ex- 
cept to put him in a hole somewhere out of the way. 

I soon felt the bad effects of the water. Possibly I 
had committed an error in not mixing it with the other 



388 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

poisons ; but it was quite poisonous enough alone to give 
tne violent pains in the stomach and a very severe diar- 
rhea. At the same time, I was seized with an acute at- 
tack of rheumatism in the shoulder and neuralgic pains 
in the head. The complication of miseries which I now 
suffered was beyond all my calculations of the hardships 
of mining life. As yet I had struck nothing better than 
"Winn's Restaurant," where I took my meals. The 
Comstock Ledge was all very fine, but a thousand dol- 
lars a foot ! Who ever had a thousand dollars to put 
in a running foot of ground, when not even the great 
Comstock himself could tell where it Avas running to. 
On the whole, I did not consider the prospect cheer- 
ing. 

At this period there were no laws of any kind in the 
district for the preservation of order. Some regulations 
had been established to secure the right of discovery to 
claimants, but they were loose and indefinite, differing 
in each district according to the caprice of the miners, 
and subject to no enforcement except that of the revolv- 
er. In some localities the original discoverer of a vein 
was entitled to 400 funning feet; he could put down 
the names of as many friends as he chose at 200 feet 
each. Notice had to be recorded at certain places of 
record, designating the date and location of discovery. 
All "leads" were taken up with their dips, spurs, and an- 
gle's." But who was to judge of the "dips, spurs, and 
angles ?" That was the difficulty. Every man ran them 
to suit himself. The Comstock Ledge was in a mess of 
confusion. The shareholders had the most enlarged 
views of its "dips, spurs, and angles;" but those who 
struck croppings above and below were equally liberal 
in their notions ; so that, in fine, every body's spurs were 
running into every body else's angles. The Cedar Hill 
Company were spurring the Miller Company ; the Vir- 
ginia Ledge "was spurring the Continuation ; the Dow 
Company were spurring the Billy Choller, and so on. It >' 
was a free fight all round, in which the dips, spurs, and 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



389 



angles might be represented thus, after the pattern of a 
bunch of snakes : 




The contention was very lively. Great hopes were 
entertained that when Judge Cradlebaugh arrived he 
would hold court, and then there would be some hope 
of settling these conflicting claims. I must confess I 
did not share in the opinion that law would settle any 
dispute in which silver was concerned. The Almaden 



890 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

Mine case is not yet settled, and never will be as long as 
there are judges and juries to sit upon it, and lawyers to 
argue it, and silver to pay expenses. Already Virginia 
City was infested with gentlemen of the bar, thirsting 
and hungering for chances at the Comstock. If it could 
only be brought into court, what a picking of bones there 
would be! 

When the snow began to clear away there was no end 
to the discoveries alleged to be made every day. The 
Flowery Diggings, six miles below Virginia, were repre- 
sented to be wonderfully rich — so rich, indeed, that the 
language of every speculator who held a claim there 
partook of the flowery character of the diggings. The 
whole country was staked off to the distance of twenty 
or thirty miles. Every hill-side was grubbed open, and 
even the Desert was pegged, like the sole of a boot, with 
stakes designating claims. Those who could not spare 
time to go out "prospecting" hired others, or furnished 
provisions and pack-mules, and went shares. If the 
prospecting party struck "any thing rich," it was ex- 
pected they would share it honestly ; but I always fan- 
cied they would find it more profitable to hold on to that, 
and find some other rich lead for the resident partners. 

In Virginia City, a man who had been at work dig- 
ging a cellar found rich indications. He immediately 
laid claim to a whole street covered with houses. The 
excitement produced by this "streak of luck" was per- 
fectly frantic. Hundreds went to work grubbing up the 
ground under their own and their neighbors' tents, and 
it was not long before the whole city seemed in a fair 
way of being undermined. The famous Winn, as I was 
told, struck the richest lead of all directly under his res- 
taurant, and was next day considered worth a million of 
dollars. The dips, spurs, and angles of these various dis- 
coveries covered every foot of ground within an area of 
six miles. It was utterly impossible that a fraction of 
the city could be left. Owners of lots protested in vain. 
The mining laws were paramount where there was no 



392 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

law at all. There was no security to personal property, 
or even to persons. He who turned in to sleep at night 
might find himself in a pit of silver by morning. At 
least it was thus when I made up my mind to escape 
from that delectable region ; and now, four months later, 
I really don't know whether the great City of Virginia 
is still in existence, or whether the inhabitants have not 
found a "deeper deep, still threatening to devour." 

It must not be supposed, from the general character 
of the population, that Virginia City was altogether des- 
titute of men skilled in scientific pursuits. There were 
few, indeed, Who did not profess to know something of 
geology ; and as for assayers and assay offices, they were 
almost as numerous as barkeepers and groggeries. A 
tent, a furnace, half a dozen crucibles, a bottle of acid, 
and a hammer, generally comprised the entire establish- 
ment; but it is worthy of remark that the assays were 
always satisfactory. Silver, or indications of silver, were 
sure to be found in every specimen. I am confident 
some of these learned gentlemen in the assay business 
could have detected the precious metals in an Irish pota- 
to or a round of cheese for a reasonable consideration. 

It was also a remarkable peculiarity of the country 
that the great "Comstock Lead" was discovered to exist 
in almost every locality, however remote or divergent 
from the original direction of the vein. I know a gentle- 
man who certainly discovered a continuation of the Com- 
stock forty miles from the Ophir mines, and at an angle 
of more than sixty degrees. But how could the enter- 
prising adventurer fail to hit upon something rich, when 
every clod of earth and fragment of rock contained, ac- 
cording to the assays, both silver and gold ? There was 
not a coyote hole in the ground that did not develop 
'•indications." I heard of one lucky fellow who struck 
upon a, rich vein, and organized an extensive company 
on the strength of having stumped his toe. Claims were 
even staked out and companies organized on "indica- 
tions" rooted up by the squirrels and gophers. If they 



ill 




INDICATIONS, 8UBE1 



R2 



394 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

were not always indications of gold or silver, they were 
sure to contain copper, lead, or some other valuable min- 
eral — plumbago or iridium, for instance. One man act- 
ually professed to have discovered "ambergris;" but I 
think he must have been an old whaler. 

The complications of ills which had befallen me soon 
became so serious that I resolved to get away by hook 

or crook, if it was possible to cheat the corporate 

authorities of their dues. I had not come there to enlist 
in the service of Mammon at such wages. 

Bundling up my pack one dark morning, I paid "Zip" 
the customary dollar, and while the evil powers were 
roistering about the grog-shops, taking their early bit- 
ters, made good my escape from the accursed place. 
Weak as I was, the hope of never seeing it again gave 
me nerve; and when I ascended the first elevation on 
the way to Gold Hill, and cast a look back over the con- 
fused mass of tents and hovels, and thought of all I had 
suffered there in the brief space of a few days, I involun- 
tarily exclaimed, "If ever I put foot in that hole again, 
may the — " 

But perhaps I had better not use strong language till 
I once more cret clear of the Devil's Gate. 



CHAPTER VI. 

ESCAPE FROM VIRGINIA CITY. 

As ill luck would have it, a perfect hurricane swept 
through the canon from Gold Hill, sometimes in gusts 
so sudden and violent that it was utterly impossible to 
make an inch of headway. Tents were shivered and 
torn to shreds all along the wayside. I saw one party 
sitting at breakfast with nothing but the four posts 
which had originally sustained their tent and a few frag- 
ments of canvas flapping from them as a protection 
against the wind. Nothing could withstand its tcrrif- 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 395 

jc force. Cabins with bush tops were unroofed ; frame 
shanties were rent asunder, and the boards flew about 
like feathers; the air was filled with grit and drift, strik- 
ing the face as if the great guns, which are sometimes 
said to blow, Avere loaded with duck-shot. Nor did the 
wind confine itself to one channel. It ranged tip hill and 
down hill, raking the enemy fore and aft. In one place 
two tents were torn up, as one might say, by the roots, 
and carried off bodily to the top of the mountain ; in an- 
other, half a dozen might be seen traveling down hill, at 
the rate of forty miles an hour, toward the Flowery Dig- 
gings. What became of all the unfortunate Avretches 
who were thus summarily deprived of their local habit- 
ations I never learned. Most likely they sought refuge 
in the coyote holes, which, in fact, appeared to be unten- 
anted ; for I don't think coyotes could live long in such 
a country. 

A short distance beyond Gold Hill a trail strikes off 
to the right, which is said to cut off four or five miles of 
the distance to Carson City. That would be a consider- 
able gain to a traveler making his escape from Virginia 
City, and whose every step was attended with extreme 
physical suffering, to say nothing of the mental disquie- 
tude occasioned by his proximity to that place. Besides, 
it avoided the "Devil's Gate," of which I had also an in- 
tense dread. What hordes of dark and inexorable imps 
might be laying in wait there, with pitchforks to impale 
a poor fellow upon, and kegs of blasting powder to blow 
him up; what accounts might have to be rendered of 
one's stewardship at head-quarters ; what particular kind 
of passport, sanded over with brimstone and stamped 
with a cloven foot, might be demanded, it was not possi- 
ble to conjecture. At all events, it Avas safer to incur 
no risk. The old adage of the "longest Avay round" did 
not occur to me. 

I took the trail, and Avas soon out of sight of Gold 
City. The mountains Avere covered with snow, not A'ery 
deep, but soft and slippery. In my Aveak state, with a 



396 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

racking rheumatism and the prostrating effects of the 
arsenic water, the labor of making headway against the 
fierce gusts of wind and keeping the trail was very se- 
vere. Every few hundred yards I had to lie down in 
the snow and await some relief from the paroxysms of 
pain. After an hour or two I reached a labyrinth of 
hills, in which the trail became lost by the melting of 
the snow. I still had some idea of the general direction, 
and kept on. My progress, however, was very slow, 
and at times so difficult that it required considerable 
effort of mind to avoid stopping altogether, and "taking 
the chances," as they say, in this agreeable region. Now 
all this may seem very absurd, as compared with the 
sufferings endured by Colonel Fremont in the Rocky 
Mountains, and doubtless is, in some respects. As, for 
instance : I was not shut up in a gorge of the mountains, 
a thousand miles from the habitations of man ; I was not 
in a state of starvation, though thin enough for a staiwed 
man in all conscience ; I was not at all likely to remain 
in any one position, however isolated, without being 
"spotted" by some enterprising miner in search of indi- 
cations. But then, on the other hand, I was thoroughly 
dredged with arsenic, plumbago, copperas, and corrosive 
sublimate, and had neither mule nor "burro" — not even 
a woolly horse to carry me. Does any body pretend to 
say that the renowned arctic explorers ever encountered 
such a series of hardships as this ? Four or five months 
of perpetual night, with the thermometer 80° below zero, 
may be uncomfortable ; but then the adventurer in the 
polar regions has the advantage of being the farthest 
possible distance from certain other regions — say, from 
Virginia City. 

About noon I came to the conclusion that, however 
willing the spirit might be, the flesh had done its best, 
and was now quite used up ; so I stretched myself on 
the snow under a cedar bush, and resolved to await what 
assistance Providence might send me. I was not long 
there when a voice in the distance caught mv ear. I 






A PEEP AT WASHOE. 397 

rose and called. In a few minutes a mysterious figure 
emerged from the bushes at the mouth of a caiion a few 
hundred feet below. I beckoned to him to come up. 
The singular appearance and actions of the man attract- 
ed my attention. 

His face was nearly black with dirt, and his hair was 
long and shaggy. On his head he wore a tattered cap, 
tied around the chin with a blue cotton handkerchief. 
A tremendous blue nose, a pair of green goggles, and 
boots extending up to his hips, completed the oddity of 
his appearance. At first he approached me rapidly ; but 
at the distance of about fifty yards he halted, as if uncer- 
tain what to do. He then put down his pack, and began 
to search for something in the pockets of his coat — a 
knife, perhaps, or a pistol. Could it be possible this fel- 
low was a robber, who had descried me from the oppo- 
site mountain, and was now bent upon murder ? If so, 
it would be as well to bring the matter to an issue at 
once. I was unarmed, having even lost my penknife by 
reason of a rent in my pocket. There were desperate 
characters in this wilderness, who would think nothing 
of killing a man for his money ; and although I had only 
about forty dollars left, that fact could not possibly be 
known to this marauder. His appearance, to be sure, 
was not formidable ; but then one should not be too 
hasty in judging by appearances. For all I knew he 
might be the — Old Gentleman himself on a tour of in- 
spection from Virginia City. 

"Hallo, friend !" said I, assuming a conciliatory tone, 
"where are you bound?" 

Upon this he approached a little closer. I soon per- 
ceived that he was a German Jew, who had either lost 
his way or was prospecting for silver. As he drew near, 
he manifested some signs of trepidation, evidently being 
afraid I would rob him of his pack, in which there was 
probably some jewelry or old clothes. It is hardly nec- 
essary for me to say that I had no intention of robbing 
him. I had not come to that yet. There was no telling 



398 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

to what straits I might be reduced ; but, as long as I had 
a dollar in my pocket, I was determined to avoid high- 
way robbery. Besides, it was beyond my strength at 
this particular crisis ; a fact which the Jew seemed to 
recognize, for he now approached confidently. His first 
exclamation, on reaching the spot where I stood, was, 

" Dank Gott ! Ish dis de trail ?" 

"Where are you bound?" 

"To Carson. I pe going to Carson, and I pe losht for 
six hours. Mein Gott ! It ish an awful country. You 
know the way?" 

" Of course. You don't suppose I'd be here if I didn't 
know the way ?" 

"Dat is zo." 

"Come on, friend; I'm going in that direction. But 
don't walk very fast — I'm sick." 

"Zo? Was is de matter?" 

" Poisoned." 

"Mein Gott! mein Gott ! Das is awful." 

"Very — it makes a fellow so weak." 

"Mein Gott! Did dey poison you for your money?" 
And here the Jew put his hands behind him to see if his 
pack was safe. 

"Oh no, it was only the water — arsenic and copperas." 

"Zo!" 

This explanation apparently relieved him of a very un- 
pleasant train of thought, for he now became quite live- 
ly and talkative. As we trudged along, chatting socia- 
bly on various matters of common interest, it occurred 
to me from time to time that I had seen this man's face 
before. The idea grew upon me. It was not a matter 
of particular importance, and yet I could not banish it. 
His voice, too, was familiar. Certainly there was some- 
thing about him that possessed an uncommon interest. 

"Friend," said I, "it occurs to me I've seen you be- 
fore." 

"Zo? I dink de same." 

Some moments elapsed before I could fix upon the oe- 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



399 




AN OLD FBI BSD. 



casion or the place. All at once the truth flashed upon 
me. It was Strawberry Flat! I had slept with the 
man ! This was the identical wretch who had robbed 
me of my stockings ! In the excitement produced by 
the discovery and the recollection of my blistered feet, I 
verily believe, had I been armed with a broad-sword or 



400 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

battle-axe, after the fashion of Brian de Bois Guilbert, I 
would have cloven him in twain. 

"Ha! I remember; it was at Strawberry ! You slept 
with me one night," said I, in a tone of suppressed pas- 
sion. 

"Das is it! Das is it!" cried the Jew. "I shlept 
mit you at Sthrawberry !" 

The effrontery of the villain was remarkable. Proba- 
bly he would even acknowledge the theft. 

"Friend," said I, calmly and deliberately, "did you 
miss a pair of woolen stockings in the morning about the 
time you started ?" 

"Look here!" quoth the wretch, suddenly halting, 
" was dey yours ?" 

"They were!" 

At this the abominable rascal doubled himself up as if 
in a convulsion, shook all over, and turned almost black 
in the face. It was his mode of laughing. 

"Well, I daught dey avos yours ! I daught to myself, 
Mem Gott! how dat fellow will shwear when he find 
his sthockings gone !" 

And here the convulsions were so violent that he fair- 
ly rolled over in the snow, and kicked as if in the ago- 
nies of death. It was doubtless very funny to rob a man 
of his valuable property and cause him days of suffering 
from blistered feet ; but I was unable to see any wit in 
it till the Jew regained his breath and said, 

"Vel, vel! I must sthand dhreat for dat! I know'd 
you'd shwear when you missed 'em. Vel, vel ! das is 
goot ! Here's a flask of first-rate brandy — dhrink !" 

I took a small pull — medicinally, of course. From 
that moment my forgiveness was complete. I harbored 
not a particle of resentment against the man, though I 
never again could have entertained implicit confidence 
in his integrity. 

In due time we reached the banks of Carson River at 
a place called Dutch John's, distant about four miles 
from Carson City. I have an impression that John was 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 401 

an emigrant from Salt Lake. He bad brought with hini 
a woman to whom he was "sealed," and was the father 
of a thriving little family of " cotton-beads." Some of 
the stage-drivers who were in the habit of taking a 
"smile" at John's persuaded him tbat he was now among 
a moral and civilized people, and must get married. To 
be "sealed" to a woman was not enough. He must be 
spliced according to Church and State, otherwise he 
would wake up some fine morning and find himself hang- 
ing to a tree. John had heard that the Californians 
were terrible fellows, and had a mortal dread of Vigi- 
lance Committees. The stage-drivers were rather a clev- 
er set of fellows, and no way strict in morals;, but then 
they might hang him for fun, and what would be fun to 
them would be death to him. There was some charm 
in living an immoral life, to be sure, yet it would not do 
to enjoy that disreputable course at the expense of a 
disjointed neck. On the whole, John took the advice of 
the stage-drivers, and got married. Next day he rode 
through the streets of Carson, boasting of the adroit 
manner in which he had escaped the vengeance of the 
Vigilance Committee. I am happy to add that he is 
now a respectable member of the community. Not that 
I recommend his whisky. I consider it infinitely worse 
than any ever manufactured out of tobacco-juice, Cay- 
enne pepper, and whale-oil at Port Townsend, "Washing- 
ton Territory, where the next worst whisky in the world 
is used as the common beverage of the inhabitants. 

Leaving John's we came to the plain. Here the sand 
was heavy, and the walking very monotonous and tire- 
some. This part of Carson Valley is a complete desert. 
Scarcely a blade of grass was to be seen. Shriveled 
sage-bushes scattered here and there over the sand were 
the only signs of vegetation. Even the rabbits and sage- 
hens had abandoned the country. All the open spaces 
resembled the precincts of a slaughter-house. Cattle lay 
dead in every direction, their skulls, horns, and carcass- 
es giving an exceedingly desolate aspect to the scene. 



402 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

Near the river it was a perfect mass of corruption. 
Hundreds upon hundreds of bleached skeletons and rot- 
ting carcasses dotted the hanks or lay in great mounds, 
where they had gathered for mutual warmth, and drop- 
ped down from sheer starvation. The smell filled the 
air for miles. Thousands of buzzards had gathered in 
from all parts to the great carnival of flesh — presenting 
a disgusting spectacle as they sat gorged and stupefied 
on the foul masses of carrion, they scarcely deigning to 
move as we passed. In the sloughs bordering on the 
river, oxen, cows, and horses were buried up to the 
necks where they had striven to get to the water, but, 
from excess of weakness, had failed to get back to 
the solid earth. Some were dead, others were dying. 
Around the latter the buzzards were already hover- 
ing, scarcely awaiting the extinction of life before they 
plunged in their ravenous beaks and tore out the eyes 
from the sockets. On the dry plain many hundreds of 
cattle had fallen from absolute starvation. The winter 
had been terribly severe, and the prolonged snows had 
covered what little vegetation there was. Those of the 
settlers who had saved hay enough for their stock found 
it more profitable to sell it at $300 a ton and let the 
stock die. Horses, oxen, and cows shared the same fate. 
Many lingered out the winter on the few stunted shrubs 
to be found on the foot-hills, and died just as the grass 
began to appear. It was a hard country for animals of 
all kinds. Those that were retained for the transporta- 
tion of goods were little better than living skeletons, yet 
the amount of labor put upon them was extraordinary. 
In Virginia City it was almost impossible to procure a 
grain of barley for love or money. Enormous prices 
Avere offered for any kind of horse-feed by men Avho had 
come over on good horses, and Avho wished to keep them 
alive. At the rate of five dollars a day it required but a 
short time for the best horse to " eat his head off." Hay 
Avas sold in little Avisps of a few pounds at sixty cents a 
pound, barley at seventy-five cents, and but little to be 




CAESON VALLEY. 



404 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

had even at those extravagant rates. A friend of mine 
from San Francisco, who arrived on a favorite horse, 
could get nothing in the way of feed but bread, and he 
paid fifty cents a loaf for a few scanty loaves about the 
size of biscuits to keep the poor animal alive. It was 
truly pitiable to see fine horses starving to death. The 
severity of the weather and the want of shelter were 
terribly severe on animals of every kind. Good horses 
could scarcely be sold for a tenth part of their cost, 
though the distance across the mountain could be per- 
formed under ordinary circumstances in two days. But 
where all was rush and confusion there was little time 
to devote to the calls of humanity. Men were crazy 
after claims. Every body had his fortune to make in a 
few months. The business of jockeying had not grown 
into full vogue except among a few, who were always 
willing to sell at very high prices and buy at very low 
— a remarkable fact connected with dealers in horseflesh. 
The walk across Carson Valley through the heavy 
sand had exhausted what little of my strength remained, 
and I was about to give up the ghost for the third time, 
when a wagoner from Salt Lake gave me a lift on his 
wagon and enabled me to reach the town. Here my 
excellent friend Van Winkle gave me another chance in 
his bunk, and in the course of a few days I was quite re- 
cruited. 



CHAPTER VII. 

MY WASHOE AGENCY. 

The courteous reader who has followed me so far will 
doubtless be disappointed that I have given so little 
practical information about the mines. Touching that I 
can only say, as Macaulay snid of Sir Horace Walpole, 
the constitution of my mind is such that whatever is 
great appears to me little, and whatever is little seems 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



405 



great. The serious pursuits of life I regard as a mon- 
strous absurdity ou the part of mankind, especially root- 
ing in the ground for money. The Washoe mines are 
nothing more than squirrel-holes on a large scale, the 
difference being that squirrels burrow in the ground be- 
cause they live there, and men because they want to live 
somewhere else. I deny and repudiate the idea that any 
man really has any necessity for morfty. He only thinks 
he does — which is a most unaccountable error. 

But then you may have some notion of going to Wash- 
oe yourself, just to try your luck. Good friend, let me 
advise you — don't go. Stay where you are. Devote 
the remainder of your life to your legitimate business, 
your wife, and your baby. Don't go to Washoe. If 
you have no money, or but little, you had better go to — 
any other place. It is no retreat for a poor man. -The 
working Of silver mines requires capital. A poor man 
can not make wages in Washoe. If you are rich and 
wish to speculate — a word in your ear. 







HOLDING ON TO IT. 



"The undersigned is prepared to sell at reasonable prices" [this 
I quote from one of my advertisements] "valuable claims in the fol- 
lowing companies : 



406 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



The Dead Broke, The Fool Hardy, 

The Rip Snorter, The Ousel Owl, 

The Love's Despair, The Grab Game, 

The Ragged End, The Riff-Raff. 

"The titles to all these claims are perfect, and the purchaser of 
any claim will have no difficulty whatever in holding on to it." 

I hope it will not be inferred from the desponding 
tone of my narratii* that I deny the existence of silver 
in Washoe, for certainly nothing is farther from my in- 
tention. That there is silver in the Comstock Lead, 
and in great quantities, is a well-established fact. How 
many thousands of tons may be there it is impossible for 
me to say, but there must be an immense quantity — be- 
yond all calculation in fact, as the ore is scattered all 
around the mines in great heaps, and every heap is said 
to be worth a fortune if it would only bear transporta- 
tion to San Francisco at an expense of $600 per ton. 
The best of it is sorted out and packed off on mules 
every clay or two, partly to get the silver out of it, and 
partly to show the speculators in San Francisco that the 
mines have not yet given out. The yield per ton is es-* 
timated at from $1200 to $2500. During the time of 
my visit to the mines but little work could be done on 
account of the number of speculators who were engaged 
in trying to sell out, few of them being disposed to en- 
gage in the slow operation of mining. Some said it was 
on account of the weather, but I suspect the weather 
had very little to do with it. The following is a rough 
estimate of the companies who claim to hold in the 
Comstock vein : 



Billy Choller 1820 feet. 

Hill and Norcross... 250 " 

Goold and Curry.... 300 " 

Savage 800 " 

Washoe 1200 " 

Belcher and Best.... 223 " 

Sides Ground 500 " 

Murphy 100 " 

Kinney 60 " 

Central 100 " 



California 250 feet. 

Welch and Bryan 50 " 

Central (again) 150 " 

Ophir 200 " 

Mexican 100 " 

Continuation of Ophir 1200 " 

Newman, Scott, & Co. 300 " 

Miller Co 3000 " 

Bob Allen and others.. 900 " 




U ■ ,,' 



i 




MOrNT OP11IK. 



408 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



Besides about forty miles of outside claims, said to be 
on a direct line with the Comstock, and to be richer, if 
any thmg, than the original vein. 

When«I left, the prices asked for a share in any of 
the above companies ranged from $200 to $2000 per 
running foot, and it was alleged that the purchaser could 
follow his running foot through all its dips, spurs, and 
angles. Some of these companies numbered as high as 
two or three hundred. I know a gentleman who sold 
out all his assets and invested the proceeds, $800, in 8 
inches of the Central, and another who mortgaged his 
property to secure five feet in the Billy Choller. These 
gentlemen are, in all probability, at this moment worth 
a million of dollars each. 

In short, the whole country looks black, blue, and 
white with silver, and where there is no silver there are 
croppings which indicate sulphurets or copperas. 




(JEOPPEN«i 



The Flowery Diggings were in full flower; and if 
they have since failed to realize the expectations that 
were then formed of them, it must be because the Mam- 
moth lead gave out, or<ILady Bryant did not sustain her 
reputation. 

To the honest miner I have a word to sav. You are 




THE FLOWEEY DIGGINGS. 



410 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



MUS. 




HO.NKST MlNJiiL. 



a free-born American citizen — that is, unless you were 
born in Ireland, which is so much the better, or in Ger- 
many, which is better still. You live by the sweat of 
your brow. You are God's noblest work — an honest 
man. The free exercise of the right of suffrage is guar- 
anteed to you by the glorious Constitution of our com- 
mon country. Upon your vote may depend the fate of 
millions of American freemen, nay, fate of Freedom it- 
self, and the ultimate destiny of mankind. I do not ap- 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 411 

peal to you on the present occasion for any personal fa- 
vor. Thank Fortune, I am beyond that. But in the 
name of common sense, in the name of our beloved state, 
in the name of the great Continental Congress, I do ap- 
peal to you, if you have a claim in California, hold on 
to it ! Don't go pirouetting about the country in search 
of better claims, abandoning ills that you are well ac- 
quainted with, and flying to others that you know noth- 
ing about. If you do, you may find it " a gloomy pros- 
pect." 




■ A GLOOMY PROSPECT.' ' 



I was now, so to say, permanently established at Car- 
son City. In other words, it was questionable whether 
I should ever be able to get away without resorting to 
the intervention of friends, which was an alternative too 
revolting for human nature to bear. The only resource 
left was "The Agency." I had forgotten all about it 
hitherto, and now resolved to call at the Express office, 
and see what fortune might be in store for me. Surely 
the advertisement must have elicited various orders of a 
lucrative nature. Nor was I disappointed. A package 
of letters awaited me. Without violating any con fid en- 



412 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

tial obligations, I may say, in general terras, that the 
contents and ray answers were pretty much as follows : 

A. Wishes to know what the prospect would be in 
Washoe for a young man of the medical profession. Has 
a small stock of drugs, and proposes to engage in the 
practice of medicine, and at the same time keep a drug- 
store. 

Ans. Doctors are already a drug in Washoe. Bran- 
dy, whisky, and gin are the only medicines taken. Bring 
over a lot of good liquors, prescribe them a*t two bits a 
dose, and you Avill do well. Charge, $10 — please remit. 

B. Has about twenty head of fine American cows. 
Would like to sell them, and wishes a contract made in 
advance. 

Ans. Could find nobody who wanted to pay cash for 
cows. Money is scarce and cows are plenty. Have sold 
your cows, however, for the following valuable claims : 
25 feet in the Root-Hog-or-Die ; 40 feet in the Let-her- 
Rip ; 50 feet in the Gone Case ; and 100 feet in the You 
Bet. Charge, $25, which please remit by Express. 

C. Would like to know if a school could be established 
in W r ashoe with any reasonable prospect of success. 
Has been engaged in the business for some years, and is 
qualified to teach the ordinary branches of a good En- 
glish education, or, if desired, Greek and Latin. 

Ans. No time to Avaste in learning here, and no use 
for the English language, much less Greek or Latin. A 
pious missionary might find occupation. One accus- 
tomed to mining could develop what indications there 
are of a spiritual nature among the honest miners. No 
charge. 

D. Wishes to invest about $1500 in some good claims. 
Has three or four friends who will go in with him. Is 
willing to honor a draft for that amount. Hopes I will 
strike something rich. 

Ans. Have bought a thousand feet for you in the very 
best silver mines yet discovered. They are all in and 
about the Devil's Gate. Several of them are supposed 



A TEEP AT WASHOE. 413 

to be in the Comstock Ledge. They are worth $50,000 
this moment ; but if you can sell them in S. F. for an 
advance of $2000, do so by all means, as the silver may 
give out. Charge, $400 or nothing. 

E. Has been in bad health for some time, and thinks 
a trip across the mountains would do him good. Please 
give him some information about the road and manner 
of living. How about lodgings and fare ? Is troubled 
with the bronchitis, and wishes to know how the climate 
would be likely to affect it. 

Ans. Hire a mule at Placerville, and if you are not too 
far gone the trip may benefit your bronchial tubes. The 
road is five feet deep by 130 miles long, and is composed 
chiefly of mountains, snow, and mud. Lodgings — from 
one to two hundred lodgers in each room, and from two 
to four bedfellows in each bed. Will not be troubled 
long with the bronchitis. The water will probably make 
an end of you in about two weeks. Charge — nothing. 

F. Is a lawyer by profession, and desires to establish 
a business in some new country. Thinks there will be 
some litigation at "Washoe in connection with the mines. 
Wishes to be informed on that point, and would be 
obliged for any general information. 

Ans. About every tenth man in Washoe is a lawyer. 
There will doubtless be abundance of litigation there 
before long. Would advise you to go to some other 
new country, say Pike's Peak, for instance. Respecting 
things generally, Miller and Rodgers are going up and 
whisky down. Charge, 50 cents. Please remit. 

G. Thinks of taking his family over to Washoe. How 
are the accommodations for women and children ? And 
can servants be had ? 

Ans. Keep on thinking about that or something else, 
but don't attempt to carry your thoughts into effect. If 
you do, your wife must wear the — excuse me — she must 
wear male apparel. For accommodations, yourself and 
family might possibly be able to hire one bunk two feet 
by six ; and you might seduce a Digger Indian to re- 



414 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

main in your domestic employ by giving him $2 in cash 
and a gallon of whisky per day. Charge — nothing. 

H. Has a house and lot worth about $10,000. Would 
like to trade it for some good mining claims. Can not 
sell the property for cash on account of a difficulty about 
the title ; but this you need not mention, as it can prob- 
ably be adjusted for a reasonable consideration. 

Ans. Have traded your house and lot for 100 feet in 
the Pine Nut, 50 do. in the Ousel Owl, 50 do. in the 
Salmon Tail, 25 in the Roaring Jack, and 25 in the 
Amadoi'. These are all good claims, and it will make 
no difference about the title to your house and lot, as 
each claim in the above-mentioned companies has also 
several titles to it. Charge, $500. Please remit. 

I. Is in the stove business, and understands that cast- 
iron stoves bring a high price in Washoe. Has some 
notion of sending over a consignment. Please state ex- 
penses and prospect of success. 

Ans. Stoves are very valuable in Washoe, especially 
cooking-stoves. It costs from 25 to 50 cents per pound 
to get them over on mule-back, at which prices they can 
be sold for claims, but not for money. If you have any 
very young stoves that can be planted, as the Schildber- 
gers planted the salt, a good crop of them can be sold. 
Charge — nothing. 

J. Is inventor of a process for extracting silver out of 
the crude ore without smelting. The machinery is sim- 
ple, and would easily bear transportation. Could the 
patent right be sold in Washoe ? 

Ans. Nothing is more needed here than just such an 
invention as yours. Bring it over by all means. If you 
can extract silver out of the general average of the ore 
found here, either by smelting or otherwise, you will do 
a splendid business. Charge, $50. Please remit. 

K. Understands that lumber is $300 a thousand in 
Virginia City. Can be delivered at the wharf in San 
Francisco from the Mendocino Mills for about $20 a 
thousand. Would it be practicable to get any quantity 
of it over, so as to make the speculation profitable? 



A FEEP AT WASHOE. 415 

Ans. You are correctly informed as to the value of 
lumber in Washoe. A balloon might be constructed to 
carry over a small lot ; but, in case you found that mode 
of transportation too expensive, I know of no other way 
than to remove a portion of the Sierra Nevada Mount- 
ains in the rear of Placerville, or run a tunnel through 
underneath. It is possible that the price of labor might 
be an obstacle to the success of either of these plans, in 
which event, if you can contract to put one board on the 
back of each man leaving San Francisco, he may be able 
to earn his board, and you may be able to get your lum- 
ber over cheap. Charge, $25. Please remit. 

I have thus given an average specimen of the letters 
that came pouring in upon me by every mail. It kept 
me busy, as may well be supposed, to attend to the nu- 
merous requests made by my correspondents ; but the 
trouble was, no money came. There was a great deal, 
to be sure, for future collection, and as long as that was 
due it'could not be lost by any injudicious speculation. 
It was some consolation, therefore, to reflect upon the 
large amount of capital that had accrued in the various 
operations of the Agency. 

At this crisis, when fortune had fairly begun to smile, 
the weather changed again, and for days it stormed and 
snowed incessantly, covering up the whole valley, and 
blocking up every trail. A relapse of rheumatism and 
my poison-malady now seized me with renewed viru- 
lence. I had scarcely any rest by night or day, and 
soon saw that to remain would be a sure way of securing 
a claim to at least six feet of ground in the vicinity of 
Carson. The extraordinary number of persons who had 
invested in silver mines, and who were anxious to sell 
out in San Francisco, suggested the idea of changing 
my Agency to that locality. I therefore notified the 
public that there was a rare opportunity of selling out 
their claims to the best advantage, and it was not long 
before I was freighted down with " indications," powers 
of attorney, deeds, and bills of sale. 



416 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

START FOB HOME. 

As soon as the "weather permitted I set forth on my 
journey homeward, taking the stage to Genoa, in the 
hope of finding a horse or mule there- upon which to 
cross the mountains. It was doubtful whether the trail 
was yet open ; but a thaw had set in, and the prospect 
was that it would be practicable to get over in a few 
days. The stage from Genoa to Woodford's had been 
discontinued, in consequence of the expense of feeding 
the horses. All the saddle trains had left before the 
late snow, and there was not an animal of any kind to 
be had except by purchase — an alternation for which I 
was not prepared. 

In this unfortunate state of affairs there was nothing 
left but to try it again on foot. It was with great diffi- 
culty that I could walk at all, much less carry my blank- 
ets and the additional weight of a heavy bundle of 
"croppings." The prospect of remaining at Genoa, 
however, was too gloomy to be thought of So I sold 
my blankets for a night's lodging, and set out-the next 
morning for "Woodford's. By dint of labor and perse- 
verance I accomplished about eight miles that day. It 
was dark night when I reached a small farm-house on 
the road-side. Here a worthy couple lived, who gave 
me comfortable lodgings, and cooked up such a luxuri- 
ous repast of broiled chicken, toast, and tea, that I de- 
termined, if practicable, to remain a day or two, in order 
to regain my strength for the trip across the mountain. 

The kindness and hospitality of these excellent people 
had the desired effect. In two days I was ready to pro- 
ceed. Fortunately, an ox-wagon was going to Wood- 




S2 



418 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

ford's for lumber, and I contracted with the driver, a 
good-humored negro, to give me a lift there for the sum 
of fifty cents. 

I had the pleasure of meeting several San Francisco 
friends on the road, and gave them agreeable tidings of 
the mines. The trail had just been opened. A perfect 
torrent of adventurers came pouring over, forming an 
almost unbroken line all the way from Placerville. By 
this time the spring was well advanced and the excite- 
ment was at its height. The news from below was, that 
the whole state would soon be depopulated. Every 
body was coming — Avomen, children, and all. Of course 
I wished them luck, but it was a marvel to me what they 
would do when they reached Washoe. Already there 
were eight pr ten thousand people there, and not one in 
fifty had any thing to do, or could get employment for 
board and lodging. Companies were leaving every day 
for More's Lake and Walker's River, and the probability 
was that there would be considerable distress, if not ab- 
solute suffering. But it was useless to talk. Every ad- 
venturer must have a look at the diggings for himself. 
There must be luck in store for him, if for nobody else. 
For my part, I had taken a look and was satisfied. 

The ox-team traveled very slowly, so that there was a 
good opportunity of seeing people pass both ways. The 
difference in the expression of the incoming and the out- 
going was very remarkable, being about the difference 
between a man with fifty dollars in his pocket and one 
who wished to borrow that amount. There was that 
canny air of confidence about the former which betokens 
the possession of some knowledge touching the philoso- 
pher's stone not shared by mankind generally. About 
the latter there was a mingled expression of sadness and 
sarcasm, as if they were rather inclined to the opinion 
that some people had not yet seen the elephant. 

As my ox carriage crept along uneasily over the rocky 
road, I was hailed from behind, "Hello dare! Sthop !" 
It was my friend the Jew again ! I had lost sight of 



420 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

him in Carson, and now, by some fatality, lie was des- 
tined to be my companion again. 

"Mein Gott! I'm tired valking. Can't you give me 
a lift?" The driver was willing provided I had no ob- 
jection. Now I had freely forgiven this man for the rob- 
bery of my stockings. I was not uncharitable enough 
to refuse help to a tired wayfarer ; yet I had a serious 
objection to his company under existing circumstances. 
His boots were nearly worn out, and mine had but re- 
cently been purchased in Carson. If this fellow could 
embezzle my stockings and afterward unblushingly con- 
fess the act, what security could I have on the journey 
for the safety of my boots ? I knew if he once started 
in with me he would never relinquish his claim to my 
company until we reached Placerville ; for the fellow 
was rather of a sociable turn, and liked to talk. It 
seemed best, therefore, under all circumstances, to have 
a distinct understanding at once. The treaty was soon 
negotiated. On my part it was stipulated that Israel 
should ride to Woodford's on the ox wagon provided 
he paid his own fare ; that avc should cross the mountain 
together for mutual protection, provided he would de- 
posit in my hands his watch or a #10 gold piece as secu- 
rity for the safety of my boots ; and, finally, that he 
would bind himself by the most solemn obligations of 
honor not to steal both the security and the boots ; to 
all of which the Jew assented with one of those internal 
convulsions which betokened great satisfaction in the 
arrangement. The watch was covered with pewter, as 
I discovered when he handed it to me; but I had no 
doubt it was worth eight or ten dollars. Besides, the 
treaty made no mention of the quality of the watch. It 
might possibly be an excellent timepiece, and, at all 
events, seemed to be worth a pair of boots. 

Toward evening we arrived at Woodford's. Between 
two and three hundred travelers from the other side of 
the mountain had already gotten in, and it was represent- 
ed that there was a line of pedestrians all the way over 



A l'EEP AT WASHOE. 



421 



to Strawberry. The rush for supper was tremendous. 
Not even the famous Ileenan and Sayers contest could 
compare with it, for here every body went in — or at least 
tried to get in. At the sixth round I succeeded in se- 
curing a favorable position, and when the battle com- 
menced was fortunate enough to be crushed into a seat. 

In the way of sleeping there was a general spread-out 
up stairs. By assuming a confidential tone with the 
proprietor I contrived to get a mattress and a pair of 
blankets. The Jew slept alongside on his pack, with a 
covering of loose coats. Nature's balmy restorer quick- 
ly put an end to all the troubles of the day, notwithstand- 
ing the incessant noise kept up throughout the night. 

In the morning I awoke much refreshed. It was 
about seven o'clock, and time to start. I turned to 
arouse my friend Israel, but, to my surprise, found that 
he had already taken his departure. A horrible suspi- 
cion seized me. Had he also taken — Yes, of course ; 
my boots were gone too! And the security? The 
watch ? I looked under my pillow. Miserable wretch ! 
he had also taken the watch. I might have known it! 
I was a fool for trusting him. When I picked up the 







TiiK JEW'S BOOTS. 



422 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

old pair of boots bequeathed to me as a token of remem- 
brance by this depraved man — when I held them up to 
the light and examined them critically — when I reflected 
upon the journey before me, it was enough to bring tears 
to the sternest human eye. 

No matter; I would catch the dastardly wretch on 
the trail. If ever I laid hands upon him again, so help 
me — But what is the use of swearing. No man ever 
caught another in this world with such a pair of boots 
on his feet — and here I examined them again — never! 
One might as well attempt to walk iu a pair of condemn- 
ed fire-buckets. 

There was no help for it but to await some chance of 
getting over on horseback. Fortunately, a saddle-train 
which had passed down to Genoa during the previous 
day returned a little after daylight. For the sum of $30, 
cash in advance, I secured an unoccupied horse — the 
poorest animal, perhaps, ever ridden by mortal man. 
There is no good reason that I am aware of why people 
engaged in the horse-business should always select for 
my use the refuse of their stock; but such has invariably 
been their practice. I have never yet been favored with 
a horse that was not lame, halt, or blind, or otherwise 
physically afflicted. 

I had not ridden more than a mile from Woodford's 
before I discovered that the miserable hack upon which 
I was mounted traveled diagonally, like a lugger beating 
against a head wind. His fore feet were well enough — 
they traveled on the trail ; but his hind feet were contin- 
ually undertaking to luff up a little to windward. When 
it is borne in mind that the trail was over a bank of snow 
from eight to ten feet deep, and not more than a foot 
wide, the inconvenience of that mode of locomotion will 
at once be perceived. Every few hundred yards the 
hind feet got off the trail, and went down with a sudden 
lurch that kept me in constant apprehension of being 
buried alive in the snow. Another serious difficulty was, 
that my horse, owing perhaps to the defect in his hind 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 423 

legs, had no capacity for short turns, so that whenever 
the trail suddenly diverged from its direct course, he 
invariably brought up against a rock, stump, or bank of 
snow. 

I appealed to the captain or commander of the train 
to give me a better animal, but he assured me positively 
this was the very best in the whole lot, and that I would 
find him peculiarly adapted to mountain travel, where it 
was often an advantage for an animal to hold on to an 
upper trail with his fore feet while his hind ones were 
searching for another down below. In short, on this ac 
count solely he had named him " Guyascutas." 

As there seemed to be no way of impressing the cap- 
tain with a different opinion of the merits of Guyascutas, 
I was obliged to make the best of a bad bargain, and 
jog on as fast as spurs, blows, and entreaties could effect 
that result. 

In reference to the Jew, whom I expected to overtake, 
and for whom I kept a sharp look-out, it may be as well 
to state at once that I never again put eyes on him. 
Whether he secreted himself behind some tree or rock 
till the saddle-train passed, or, overcome by remorse for 
the dastardly act he had committed, cast himself head- 
long over some precipice, I have never been able to as- 
certain. He is a miserable wretch at best. In view of 
the future, I would not for all the wealth of the Roths- 
childs stand in his — Well, yes, for that much money I 
might stand in his boots, provided no others were to be 
had ; but I should regret extremely to be guilty of such 
an act toward any fellow-traveler as he had committed. 

It was four o'clock when we got under way from the 
Lake House. A mule-driver from the other side of the 
divide had cautioned us against starting. There had 
been several snow-slides during the day, and it was only 
a few hours since the trail had been cut through. A 
large train of mules heavily laden must now be on the 
way down the Grade, and fifteen other trains had left 
Strawberry since noon. 




SNOW SLIDE. 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 425 

Those who have passed over the " Grade" can best 
appreciate our position. Two of our horses had already 
died of starvation and hard usage. There was no barley 
or feed of any kind to be had at the Lake House. The 
snow was rapidly melting, and avalanches might be ex- 
pected at any moment. Only a day or two ago one of 
these fearful slides had occurred, sweeping all before it. 
Two mules and a horse were carried over the precipice 
and dashed to atoms, and the driver had barely escaped 
with his life. 

It was considered perilous to stop on any part of the 
Grade. The trail was not over a foot wide, being heavi- 
ly banked up on each side by the accumulated snow. 
Passing a pack train was very much like running a muck. 
The Spanish mules are so well aware of their privileges 
when laden, that they push on in defiance of all obsta- 
cles, often oversetting the unwary traveler by main force. 
I was struck with a barrel of whisky in one of the nar- 
row passes some time previously and knocked nearly- 
senseless, so that I had good cause to remember their 
prowess. 

It was put to the vote whether we should make the 
attempt or remain, and finally, after much discussion, re- 
ferred to our captain. He was evidently determined to 
go on at all hazards, having a stronger interest in the 
lives of his horses than any of the party. 

At the word of command we mounted and put spurs 
to our jaded animals. 

" Now, boys," said the captain, " keep together. Your 
lives depend upon it ! Watch out for the pack trains, 
and when you see them coming hang on to a wide place ! 
Don't come in contact with the pack-mules, or you'll go 
over the Grade certain." 

There was no need of caution. Every nerve was 
strained to make the summit as soon as possible. It 
should be mentioned that the "Grade" is the Placervillc 
state road, cut in the eastern slope of the Sierra Neva- 
das, and winding upward around eaeli rib of the mount- 



426 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

ain for a distance of two miles. It was now washed 
away in many places by the melting of the snow, and 
some of the bridges across the ravines were in a very 
bad condition. From the first main elevation there is 
still another rise of two or three miles to the top of the 
divide, but this part is open and the ascent is compara- 
tively easy. In meeting the pack trains the only hope 
of safety is to make for a point where the road widens. 
These places of security occur only three or four times 
in the entire ascent of the Grade. To be caught between 
them on a stubborn or unruly horse is almost certain de- 
struction at this season of the year. 

The only alternative is to dismount with all speed, 
wheel your horse round, and, if possible, get back to 
some place of security. 

In about half an hour we made a point of rocks where 
the trail was bare. Our captain gave the order to dis- 
mount, and proceeded a short distance ahead to recon- 
noitre. The Avhole space occupied by our twelve horses 
and riders was not over six or eight feet wide by about 
thirty in length. Should any of the animals become 
stampeded, they were bound to go over. The tracks of 
several which had recently been pushed over the preci- 
pice by the pack trains were still visible. Our captain 
returned presently with news that a train was in sight. 
Soon we heard the tinkling of the bell attached to the 
leader, and then the clattering of the hoofs as the mules 
descended with their heavy burdens. One by one they 
passed. Whisky, gin, and brandy again ! Barrels, half 
barrels, and kegs ! The vaqueros made the cliffs resound 
with their Carambas and Carajas, their Dona Marias and 
Santa Sofias ! a language apparently well understood by 
the mules. This was a train of forty mules, all laden 
with liquors for the thirsty miners. The vaqueros re- 
ported another train within half a mile of twenty-five 
mules, and others on the Grade. 

After another train had passed, our captain gave the 
word to mount and " cut for our lives !" Scarcely five 



^K 1 : 




*• rf'^'iff 




THE OBADB. 



428 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

seconds elapsed before we were all off, dashing helter- 
skelter up the trail. The horses plunged and stumbled 
over the rocks, slush, and mud in a manner truly pitiable 
for them and dangerous for us. In some places the mules 
had cut through for hundreds of yards, and the trail was 
perfectly honey-combed. But there was no time for hu- 
manity. Dashing the spurs into the bleeding sides of 
our animals, we pushed on as if all the evil powers of 
Virginia City were after us. 

"Go it, boys!" our captain shouted; "neck or noth- 
ing ! I see the train ! Two hundred yards more and 
we're all safe ! Caraja ! Here's another train right on 



us 



I" 



It was a palpable truth. The pack-mules came lum- 
bering down around a point not fifty yards from us. 

" Dismount all ! Wheel ! and cut back for your lives !" 
This was the order. In a moment we were all plunging 
frantically in the snow. Some of the horses were stam- 
peded, and one man had gotten his riata around his leg. 
The mules had also commenced .a stampede, when, by 
dint of shouting, plunging, and struggling, we got clear 
of them, and went tearing down the trail to our old 
station. The train soon passed us. Whisky again, of 
course. " How many trains more, senor ?" to the vaque- 
ro. " Carambo ! muchos ! muchos ! and on he went 
laughing. This was hard. We could not stand here 
much longer, for the tremendous bank of snow above us 
began to show indications of breaking away. Two trains 
more passed in rapid succession, and then our captain 
rode ahead again to reconnoitre. It was growing dusk. 
The prospect was any thing but cheering. At a given 
signal we mounted once more. Now commenced a ter- 
rible race. Heads, necks, legs, or horse-flesh were as 
nothing in the desperate struggle to reach the next 
point. This time Ave were in luck. The haven was at- 
tained just soon enough to avoid a train of forty mules. 
From the vaquero we learned that another was still on 
the Grade. We might be able to pass it, howevex*, half 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 429 

a mile farther on. At the word of commartd we again 
mounted, and put spurs to our jaded animals. It was 
not long before Ave heard the tinkling of a bell. Now 
for it ! halt ! The mules were on us before we could 
turn ; and here commenced a scene which baffles all de- 
scription. Some of us were overturned, horses and all, 
in the banks of snow. Others sprang from their horses 
and let them struggle on their own account. All had to 
break a way out of the trail. The mules were stamped- 
ed, and kicked, brayed, and rolled by turns. The vaque- 
ros were in a perfect frenzy of rage and terror combined 
— shrieking Maladetto ! Carambo ! and Caraja! till it 
seemed as if the reverberation must break loose the snow 
from above, and send an avalanche down on top of us 
all. Bridles got foul of stray legs and jerked the owners 
on their backs ; riatas were twisted and wound around 
horses, mules, and whisky - barrels ; packs went rolling 
hither and thither ; men and animals kicked for their 
bare lives ; heads, legs, and bodies were covered up in 
snow-drifts; and nobody knew what every body else 
was doing, or what he was doing himself. In short, the 
scene was altogether very lively, and would have been 
amusing had it not been intensified by the imminent risk 
of slipping over the precipice. It was at least a thou- 
sand feet down into Lake Valley, and a man might just 
as well be kicked on the head by twelve frantic horses 
and twenty-five vicious mules as m undertake a trip down 
there by the short cut. 

All U'oubles must end. Ours ended when the animals 
gave out for want of breath. Upon picking up our scat- 
tered regiment, with all arms and equipments used in 
the melee, we found the result as follows : Dead, none ; 
wounded by kicks, scratches, sprains, and bruises, six ; 
mortally frightened, the whole party, inclusive of our 
captain ; lost, a keg of whisky, which some say went 
down to Lake Valley ; but I have my suspicious where 
that keg went, and how it was secreted. 

From this point over the summit we met several more 



430 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

pack trains,* and had an occasional tumble in the snow. 
Nothing more serious occurred. It was quite dark as 
we commenced our descent. The road here was a run- 
ning stream of mud, obstructed by slippery rocks, ruts, 
stumps, and dead animals. It was a marvel to me how 
we ever reached the bottom without broken bones. My 
horse stumbled about every hundred yards, but never fell 
more than three quarters down. Somehow people rarely 
get killed in this country, unless shot by revolvers or 
bad whisky. 



CHAPTER IX. 

AREIVAL IN SAN FRANCISCO. 

The crowds wei-e thicker than ever at Strawberry. 
From all accounts the excitement had only just com- 
menced. Five thousand were represented to be on the 
road from the various diggings throughout California. 
I had bargained for a bed, and was enjoying the idea of 
a good supper— the savory odor of which came through 
the cracks of the bar-room door — when our captain an- 
nounced that he could get no feed for his animals, and 
we must ride on to " Dick's," fourteen miles more. This 
was pretty tough on a sick man. The ride since morn- 
ing had been quite hard.enough to try the strength and 
temper of a well man ; but add fourteen miles to that, of 
a dark night and raining into the bargain, and the sum 
total is not agreeable. It was useless to remonstrate. 
The captain Avas inflexible. He could not see his horses 
starve. One was just giving his last kick, and three 
more were about to " go in." I might stay if I pleased, 
suggested the captain, but the horses must go on. As 
I had paid thirty dollars for the ride, and had barely 
enough left to get to San Francisco, there was no altern- 
ative but to mount. By this time three of the party 
were so ill as to be scarcely able to sit in their saddles. 



• A PEEP AT WASHOE. 43 1 

It is wonderful how much one can endure when there 
is nobody at hand to care a pin whether he lives or dies. 
I rather incline to the opinion that many people in this 
world die from the kindness and sympathy of friends, 
who, if thrown upon their own resources, would weather 
it out. 

I have an impressive recollection of the fourteen miles 
from Strawberry to " Dick's." My horse, Guyascutas, 
broke down about halfway. The rest of the party push- 
ed on. About the same time the old torture of rheum- 
atism and neuralgia assailed me in full force. It was 
pitch dark. There was no stopping-place nearer than 
" Dick's." The weather was cold, and a drenching rain 
had now penetrated my clothes to the skin. 

A distinct recollection of my feelings a month ago, as 
I tramped along over this road with my pack on my 
back, afforded ine ample material for philosophical re- 
flection. Was it now somebody else — some decrepit old 
fogy who had lost his all, and had nothing more to ex- 
pect in this world ? Or could it possibly be the glowing 
enthusiast, just freed from the trammels of office, and in- 
spired by visions of mountain life, liberty, and wealth ? 
If it was the same — and there could hardly be any mis- 
take about it, unless some mysterious translation of the 
spirit into some other body had taken place at Virginia 
Creek — the visions of mountain life, liberty, and unbound- 
ed riches were certainly of a very different character. 

In addition to the peculiarity in the hind-quarters of 
Guyascutas, which caused him always to make two trails 
at the same time, I had now reason to suspect that he 
was entirely blind of one eye, and afflicted with a cata- 
ract on the other. Every hundred yards or so he walk- 
ed off the road, and brought up in some deep cavity or 
against a pile of rocks. The mud in many places was 
up to his haunches, and if there was a comparatively dry 
spot any where in existence, he was sure to avoid it. I 
think he disliked me on account of the spurring I gave 
him on the Grade, and wanted to get rid of me in some 



432 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

way ; or perhaps he considered his own course of life be- 
yond farther endurance. 

The result of all the stumbling, and running into deep 
pits, banks of rock, and mud-holes was, that I had to get 
down and walk the remainder of the way. If a convic- 
tion had not taken possession of my mind that the cap- 
tain would compel me to pay for the horse in the event 
of failure to produce him, I would cheerfully have left 
him to his fate and proceeded alone ; but, under the cir- 
cumstances, I thought it best to lead him. At last the 
welcome lights hove in sight. It was not long before I 
was snugly housed at Dick's, where a good cup of tea 
brought life and hope back again. This, I may safely 
say, was my hardest day's experience of travel in any 
country. 

Next day poor Guyascutas was so far gone on his long 
journey that I had to leave him at a stable on the road- 
side, and proceed on foot. By night I was within six 
miles of Placerville. Here I overtook a fellow-traveler, 
and bargained with him for his horse. From Placerville, 
by stage to Sacramento, the journey is devoid of interest. 
I arrived at San Francisco in due time, a little the worse 
for the wear, but still equal to any new emergency that 
might arise. 

The citizens of San Francisco were on the quivive for 
news from Washoe. Almost every man with a dollar to 
spare, and many who had nothing to spare, had invested, 
to a greater or less extent, in claims — from thousands of 
feet down to a few inches. Conflicting accounts had re- 
cently come down. The public mind was in a state of 
feverish excitement. Was Washoe a humbug, or was it 
not? Was there silver there, or was it all sham? What 
was the Ophir worth at this time ? How about the Bil- 
ly Choller and the Miller ? These were but a few of the 
questions asked me on Montgomery Street. It required 
an hour to walk fifty yards, so great was the pressure 
for news. Could I tell any thing about the Winnemuck, 
or the Pine Nut, or the Rogers ? Did I happen to know 







BET CBN TO SAN FBAN0130O. 

T 



434 A PEEP AT WASHOE. 

what the Wake-up-Jake was worth in Washoe ? What 
about the Lady Bryant — was it true that it had gone 
down ? Whereabouts was the Jim Clraok located, and 
what was Dead Broke worth ? In short, I looked over 
more deeds, and answered more questions of a varied 
and indefinite nature, in the brief space of three days, 
than had ever been put to and answered by any one man 
before. 

The editor of the Bulletin, who had made a flying visit 
to Washoe, and in whose company I had traveled down 
from Placerville, commenced about this time a series of 
articles, in which he told some startling truths. Base 
metal had been found in the Comstock ; to what extent 
it prevailed nobody could tell. If the Comstock should 
prove to be worthless, what hope was there for the 
" outside claims." 

The news spread like wild-fire. A panic seized upon 
the multitudes whose funds were invested in Washoe. 
Men hurried about the streets in search of purchasers of 
Washoe stock ; but purchasers were nowhere to be 
found. Eveiy body wanted to sell. The Comstock sud- 
denly fell from one thousand down to five dollars per 
foot, and no sales at that. Miller went down fifty per 
cent. ; and the Great Outside could scarcely be given 
away at any price! Alas! had it come to this? The 
gigantic Washoe speculation "gone in," and none so 
poor to do it reverence ! 

Softly ! A word in your ear, reader ! They are only 
"bucking it down" for purposes of speculation. The 
keen men who know a thing or two are buying up se- 
cretly. The silver is there, and it must come out. All 
this cry about base metal is " a dodge" to frighten the 
timid. If you have claims, hold on to them ; they will 
be up again presently. 

For my part, I thought it best to leave San Francisco 
before my correspondents — for whom, it will be remem- 
bered, I had executed some business in Washoe — re- 
tracted their good opinion of my sagacity. There was 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 435 

no chance at this crisis to sell the various claims with 
which I bad been commissioned at Carson City. Capi- 
talists were short of funds. The money-market was la- 
boring under a depression. Tbe liver of the body politic 
was in a state of collapse. I went to the principal bank- 
ers, but failed to accomplish any thing. They even re- 
fused to lend money on unquestionable security. 

In view of all the circumstances, I determined to visit 
Europe. If the moneyed men of the Old "World could 
only be satisfied of the extent, variety, and magnificence 
of the investments to be made in the New, they would 
not hesitate to open negotiations with an agent direct 
from Washoe. 

Frankfort-on-the-Main, January, 1861. 

You will perceive from my address, most esteemed 
reader, that I am now established at one of the best 
points for pecuniary transactions on the Continent of 
Europe. I have seen many of the wealthy burghers of 
Frankfort, and am pleased to say that they manifest a 
very friendly disposition. As yet they do not quite un- 
derstand the nature of the proposed securities, but I 
have great confidence in their sagacity. My negotia- 
tions Avith the Rothschilds have been of the most amica- 
ble character. They have gone so far as to express the 
opinion that Washoe must be a remarkable country ; 
and yesterday, when I proposed to sell them fifty feet in 
the Gone Case, and forty in the Roaring Grizzly, for the 
sum of one hundred thousand florins, they smiled so po- 
litely, and withal looked so completely puzzled, that I 
considered it best not to force an immediate answer. 
You are aware, of course, that in important negotiations 
of this kind it is judicious to let the opposite party sleep 
a night or two over your proposition. That the Roths- 
childs are at present a little wary of any investment in 
Washoe is quite natural. The nomenclature is new to 
them. They have never before heard of Roaring Griz- 
zly and Gone Case silver mines. But if that should 
prove to be their only objection, I have no doubt they 



436 



A PEEP AT WASHOE. 



will ultimately purchase to the extent of several millions. 
If they do, I shall be happy to negotiate further sales for 
a reasonable commission, to be paid strictly in advance. 
My publishers will, I am confident, forward any letter to 
my address. 




READING EXTBA BULLETIN. 



THE END. 




